Goddess Send
by Sirus7009
Summary: Every time he was hurt, he never realized how much the girl cared for him. But he soon realized how important she was when she stood back to back with him, blade drawn! The first part covers the game's story, but an ally and lover soon appears! R&R please
1. 1 Nightmare to Reality

Goddess Send

Act 1

From Nightmare to Reality

Tsukasa: Welcome, one and all to new set of: *dudududududuuuDAA!!!!* Tsukasa's fanfictions!!!! That's right, the whole shebang is back!

Karen: It's about time. How long have you been gone?

Tsukasa: Um…. When did you get here?

Karen: When you started faking a trumpet sounding off. How long has it been?

Tsukasa: Yeah, I know, a lot of people are sick of Ocarina of Time Fanfictions, but you know, since Twilight princess came out, people young and old have flown back to check out earlier Zelda games. That and… well, I don't care about any other pairings but Link and Malon.

Karen: How long, Tsukasa?

Tsukasa: Heh heh… Uh, Despite the fact this fanfic is described as a Link Malon, it won't really get to that until way late into the story. BUT I have a special surprise for those who actually decide to follow the story until Link and Malon get together! So hopefully that will keep your reading tastes satiated!

Karen: How. Long. Has. It. Been.

Tsukasa: Um… WELL! Let's get started! It won't get far this time, but read and review please! Karen, if you could give the disclaimer! Banzai! *Dives out of the room*

Karen: We don't own legend of Zelda- Get back here! Don't think you're getting out of this!

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_What a day…_ Link sighed silently. From being woken from a nightmare by an annoying fairy, he ended up walking into a true nightmare… A nightmare that bit, clawed, and shot deku nuts at _his_ deku nuts.

But Link was strong… He had to be in order to stay alive. The only Kokiri that was ever nice to him was Saria. Everyone else? A bunch of hoodlums who picked on him night and day, to the point where he usually slept with a long, thick deku stick right next to his bed, just in case he got… Attacked, again. But this…. This was something on an entire different level! This was truly _thrilling_!

"Link!" the energetic fairy, Navi, pecked at him, "I think you've rested enough! We need to keep going!"

Link stretched his arms wide as he sat up. He had been trekking around the inside of the Great Deku Tree for several hours, yet all he had found was a little slingshot, though he knew better than to mock it, even in thought. It had actually saved him from a rather interesting trap: A stone block floated inside the room he found the slingshot. When he first entered, he managed to jump from an alcove onto it, then from it to a higher platform. What he didn't expect was the platform to nearly impede him from getting to the higher ledge by dropping beneath him, crumbling into potentially hazardous sharp and pointy rubble. He didn't understand how the stone platform was floating in the first place, but after it fell, Link realized that, without the high floating perch, he couldn't reach the exit.

He thanked the Deku gods that a ladder hung over the door, which he used the slingshot to knock down. Without it, he would have ended up stuck in the room forever. In fact, he wouldn't have noticed the ladder if it weren't for his fairy partner. But he had to agree with her. Enough rest; Time to work.

"We've been in here a while, Navi. How long does the Great Deku Tree have?" Link inquired. He was quickly growing concerned over the Deku Tree's health.

"I really don't know, Link. All we can do is hope we can destroy this curse in time to save him." Navi flew over to the door, Let's go"

He didn't have time to worry. He only had a little further to go, he could feel it. No, he knew it.

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"Navi, do you remember that riddle the deku scrub mentioned?" Link asked as he floated in a small pond of water, keeping watch on a trio of deku scrubs who were returning his gaze. It didn't take a genius to figure out these three were the ones who guarded "Quennie's " chamber.

"23 is number one" Navi replied before flying over to the first of the three Link should target. He loaded a seed into his slingshot band, then fired. The scrub screeched before standing straight up, whining a high pitch cry every few seconds.

"Well, that's annoying…" Link groaned before firing at the next scrub, who mimicked his brother. In the few seconds he had been shooting the deku scrubs, he already wanted to slice them into little pieces. "Really annoying…" he growled as he shot the final scrub, who shot up and began running around the room. Link flew to his feet and ran over to the deku's flower hole before he could return to it.

"Ah! Darn it!" the scrub whined before being cut off.

"Enough whining!" Link shouted, getting right in the scrub's wooden face, Navi floating away from him slowly.

"O… ok!" the deku scrub whimpered, "I guess I'll have to tell you Queen Gohma's weakness"

"Gee, aren't you the loyal one." Link muttered.

"…." The deku scrub stared at Link for a few moments.

"What?" Link tapped around his face with his right hand, checking if he had deku baba juice on it.

"Well, go see Queennie. Sorry for the trouble" The deku scrub then dove into his flower bed.

"……" Link stared at the flower for about ten seconds silently, trying to register in his mind what had just happened.

"Way to go, Link" Navi finally spoke.

"Ah, who needs tips. I can handle this Gohmon thing!" he cocked his head back and laughed heroically… or at least, he tried to sound heroic.

"Sure." Navi sighed, "Let's just get going"

Link nodded, then walked through the now opened door. Though he acted tough, he was truly scared. The rush of adrenaline he had when he first entered the giant tree had died, and he knew that the cuts and scratches he had from the smaller monsters were nothing. If these beasts called Gohma a queen, then she had to be strong.

The darkness of the room as well as the eerie mist didn't help the fright he held, "Where… do you think that Gohman thing is?" He asked, his voice shaky as he slowly stepped deeper in the room.

"What's the matter, Link? You scared?" Navi teased.

"N-no-" at that moment a barrier slammed down behind them, "Yeep!" Link cried out before regaining his composure, "No, I'm not scared. I'm fine!" Link then, with his chin held high, marched forward, glancing to his left or right every few moments. _Where's Gohmin at? _His eyes finally caught something odd on the ceiling: an orange eye. A grotesque churning sound hummed out as the eye rolled into it's owners head before rolling back out as it crawled along the ceiling. "Wha… What the… heck is that?"

Gohma dropped down to the ground, crawling a little further before she stood, roaring in front of Link, "That…. Is a BIG spider…" Link whimpered, "Uh… Navi… I'm scared now…" Link then shook his head. _Did I actually say that?!_ He drew his sword, _Now's not the time to choke up!_ He charged forward, slashing at Gohma, only to have his sword bounce off of her skin, a creamy fluid reflecting the blows, "What the heck?"

"It looks like some sort of defensive membrane, like a shield!" Navi exclaimed, "You'll have to find a weakness!"

_A weakness… a weakness, a weakness_- "Gah!" Link rolled to the side as Gohma slammed one of her right legs to the ground, the impact shaking from the ground up Link's legs. _Oh crud…_ Link gasped, his heart racing, _This is insane… if that would have hit me… _Gohma's glowing red eye and creepy growl snapped him back to attention as she slowly approached him. _What kind of weakness could she ha-_ Despite the situation, Link couldn't help but slap himself in the face, which, besides letting himself know he was an idiot, also helped get him back in gear.

_Her eye!_

Link whipped out his slingshot just as Gohma began to rear back, preparing to strike Link, all the while her eye changed from yellow-orange to a blood red, "And… Fly!" he released the seed, nailing it right in Gohma's eye.

Gohma released a horrid shriek, then slammed to the ground, her shiny defensive coat oozing off of her to reveal her tender shell, "Link, now! Strike now!" Navi shouted.

"I kinda figured!" Link leaped forward, sword drawn, and pummeled Gohma with his blade, stabbing, swiping, anything he could as quickly as possible, "Die!" he shouted, the truth dawning on him that she _was_ as tough as she looked, and she proved it as she shot back onto her legs, knocking Link onto his back.

Though it did hurt, with the shape of his sheath indenting his spine, Link quickly rose to his feet, looking around to notice Gohma was gone, though he could still hear her crawling.

_Crawling…._ His eyes flew to the ceiling, Where Gohma held herself, twitching violently, "What's she doing?" he asked, confused on her sudden cowardice of hiding on the ceiling.

"Don't let you're guard down, Link!"

"Well, isn't that obviously a _bad_ thing to do, Navi? It's pretty clear to me that I should keep my wits high" he snapped at the fairy before grinning, though the grin was quickly wiped off as a pulsating clump of flesh landed in front of him, "Wait a sec..." He quickly realized what that, along with the other two, lumps were, "Eggs. She's can't fight her own battle!" he brought his sword up as the larva burst from their mobile wombs, then brought it down in a taunting fashion, his grin returning once more, "Come on!"

The Gohmi's, as Link personally named them, screeched loudly before, one by one, jumping towards Link. The first two fell in a single slash, but the third jumped much more quickly, slamming into Link.

His spine felt his sheath's shape once again as he slammed onto the floor, the Gohmi slashing at him with it's feet, "Gah, get- Off of me!" Link brought the butt of his sword to the side of the annoying little bug, knocking it off of him. It didn't give him much time to recover, immediately lunging at Link again, however, the attack didn't turn out as well as the first; "Die, you little!" Link thrust the Kokiri sword through the smaller monster's eye. "Heh" he chuckled to himself as he drew his blade from the Gohmi's oozing eye, "How's that, you big ugly-"

At that moment, with a nerve severing screech, Gohma slammed to the ground, her front left leg already in the air, "What the-" Link was cut off, and almost not just verbally, as Gohma's leg smashed into the young Kokiri's stomach, lifting him into the air and propelling him all the way across the room, ending with the pillar he slammed into shattering, and what felt like his bones, as he fell to the ground, "That…" he was frightened enough; the sight of his own blood appearing on the ground as he coughed hardly fazed him, "Hurt… a lot…"

"Link!" Navi bobbed over his head, "Come on! Get up! It'll hurt even worse if you don't fight back!"

_Excellent argument_, Link concluded as he rolled onto his stomach. Despite the striking pain in his right shoulder and the left side of his ribs, he still could move. Rather well, actually, and also realized that the blood was due to his biting his cheek when he impacted the pillar. He began to stand, thanking the Deku gods once again for allowing his hand to keep a tight grip on his sword. He thrust his blade into the ground to help himself balance, immediately feeling a ping of guilt as he realized he had actually just stabbed the Great Deku Tree.

This guilt was quickly shrugged off as he saw Gohma storming towards him, her mission to finish the job clear in her eye. _Well that's something to remember; Never, ever mess with an already angry mother's children._ He brought his slingshot level with Gohma's eye, then traced it as she moved; she wasn't making it easy. She was obviously a little upset about her babies dying before her eye… but only a little. This anger made her move _far_ faster, though she still took her time rearing back to strike, "And… Fly!" Link shouted, watching his seed follow his command and fly true right into Gohma's eye. With her defenses down, Link began another onslaught of slashes, "Die! Die! Die already!" Link shouted, the pain in his stomach growing in intensity with every single movement. Yet, despite his efforts, Gohma rose once again…

But stumbled slightly, giving Link a chance, "Link, now!" Navi screamed.

"Haaa-" Link hopped onto Gohma's extended front right leg then jumped up, bringing the Kokiri sword straight down into Gohma's eye, "HAAA!!!"

She didn't move. Even as Link's weight caused the sword to slowly slide through her flesh before finally slipping out as Link touched ground. He must have done it. _She's dead…_ "Hah… Haha!" Link began laughing, then froze as Gohma lurched into the air, screeching her spider lungs out painfully, before finally falling to the ground one last time, groaning weakly, sputtering a growl… and then she was dead. Her body burned into blue flames then disintegrated, which Link figured meant that, being the source of it, the curse had been lifted.

"Let's hope that we finished in time…" Navi sighed.

"Ha hahahaha!!!" Link burst out laughing again before falling against one of the pillars in the room.

"Link!" Navi flew to his side, "Are you okay?"

"Heh… another dumb question, Navi" Link breathed a sigh of relief, "But yeah, I'm… intact." He shrugged his right shoulder slightly, "I think I knocked my shoulder out of position… Not the first time though. Dunno about my chest though." he laughed again, "Although, other Kokiri were tougher than that big ugly spider."

Navi's concerned stare snapped him out of his calm façade, "All right. I get it. I'm hurt. Sooner we get back to my house, the sooner I… can…" His eyes had caught an odd, heart shaped object floating where Gohma had burned away, "What's that thing?"

Navi flew to and hovered above the object, "I.. I dunno. It looks like one of those heart gummi's the enemies sometimes dropped…" Navi concluded.

Link was there holding the object in a heart beat, pulling at the sides of it, "There's a weird… film, over it."

"Maybe you're supposed to- Hey!" Navi cried out as Link took a bite out of the outer layer, then laughed as he spit it out.

"P-toah!" Link coughed, "That's horrible! It tastes like grass!" he shook his head with his tongue out before noticing the red fluid oozing out of a small hole his teeth had made through the plastic like cover. He didn't hesitate, holding the heart high- with his left arm, of course- and downing the liquid. As he swallowed each mouthful, he felt the pain in his arm and chest fade.

"Uh… Link?" Navi floated next to him as he took a breath and wiped the specks of red off of his lips.

"Tastes like… strawberries, kind of" he smiled, "My arm feels better. My chest too" he patted his shoulder, immediately flinching, "Ugh..!"

"Guess it only dulled the pain huh?" Navi ask, though she too flinched as she heard Links muscles groan.

"Just… a little…" his bone then snapped loudly, "There!" he patted his shoulder again, "Feels better already!"

"Link, what did you just do?" Navi floated closer to his arm.

"My shoulder wasn't broken, just out of place. I'm _really_ glad that heart container numbed down the pain. I wouldn't have been able to snap it into it's slot if it had hurt as bad as it did before." He then spun his arm like a fan before thrusting it out, once again flinching, "It's still a little sore though."

"When did you learn how to push your bones back into position?"

"About 2 months ago. Gigu and Eri decided to ambush me at the Lost Woods entrance cliff. The dummies jumped on me and rode me right to the bottom. Knocked my left shoulder out of place. Took me a while to finally touch it without hurting up a storm, but I found out it felt… odd. So I continued to check it every day and found that I could move it. Took a while, but I finally just shoved it back into its slot!" Link brought both hands above his head, stretching with a load groan escaping his lips.

"That's… horrible…" Navi was appalled. How much had this kid gone through in his life? He had told her when they first entered the Great Deku tree that he was picked on a lot, but… wait…

"Ah, that's not that bad. Mido's done much, _much_ worse." He laughed again, answering Navi's question just before she burst out.

"The Great Deku Tree!" she looked around frantically, "How do we get out of here? We have to go talk to him, tell him everything's all right!" She spotted a blue circle of light, "This! This might be a way out!"

"Navi!" Link shouted as he walked over, "Calm down!" he smirked as the blue fairy shot a glare at him, "He's probably fine. I'll bet he's laughing with the spirit of life flowing through him as we speak" he stepped into the light, feeling an odd fuzziness in his stomach as he floated up into the ceiling and out of the giant tree.

But he was wrong… Horribly wrong….

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Tsukasa: Ok! I was planning on going a little further with this, leading out to him leaving Kokiri forest, but… well, to put it simply, It's three in the morning, and I'm tired.

Karen: You had plenty of rest in your nine month break.

Tsukasa: Just had to say it, didn't you?

Karen: Takes a lot of guilt off your chest doesn't it? *grin*

Tsukasa: O-ok… Well, once again, read and review please! Hyrule Field Horror will come on next time! Stalfos, killer birds, and for some weird reason, a cucco.

Karen: Haven't a lot of other people used cuccos for humor before?"

Tsukasa: yeah, you could say that. But I can still use it.

Karen: Yeah, ok, whatever. Read and review people!

Tsukasa: Please!


	2. Hyrule Field Horror

Goddess Send

Act 2

Hyrule Field Horror

Tsukasa: Whew! Didn't take long to get to this chapter!

Karen: Let's hope you keep up this pace.

Tsukasa: *glare* Are you always going to do this?

Karen: Do you have a problem with it?

Tsukasa: Well! This chapter Link bids farewell to the forest and get's a first class trip into the real world!

Karen: Plus, he makes a new… "friend", hehe… in a cucco.

Tsukasa: Evil little things… well, Get ready for humor, drama, and all sorts of fun stuff! Read and review, please! We've got one so far! *w00t!*

Karen: We don't own Legend of Zelda!

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Link was still sniffling as he and Navi made their way back to the Kokiri village. He hadn't cried… but he had come very close. Shrugging it off, he began, "You know… It may sound a little… selfish, especially after the Great Deku Tree's passing, but… that was a fun day, huh?"

Navi floated quietly beside him, not even sparing a glance of recognition towards him.

"Huh. All right." He gazed up at the cloudy sky, "How long were we in there? It looks like the sun just came up, so I'd say just about a full day." He still received no reply, "Fine. Stay quiet. I'm used to it from the others."

At the mention of Links past, Navi snapped back into reality, but just short of Mido stepping into their path, "You! What did you do!?"

Link immediately donned a somber look, lowering his head, and letting his eyes trace to the left, "You… You killed the Great Deku Tree! How could you? You… You little-"

"I'm going, Mido." Link stated, beginning his pace once more around Mido.

"Going? Going where?" Just as Link passed, he noticed a patch of blood on Link's shirt.

"Out of the forest, to Hyrule Castle." Link took a moment to look back at him.

"If you leave the forest, you'll die!"

"Are you actually worried? Isn't that what you wanted?" Link's cold gaze froze Mido, mouth and all.

"I… I…" The second Link removed his stare, Mido spoke once more, "Saria will be upset! She'll hate you!" But Link just continued walking.

Navi was stunned. "Link…"

"Don't even…" Link growled. He knew he had to go back to his house, no matter how badly he just wanted to full out run through the hollow log that led out of the forest, "Let's just get back to my house and get my stuff ready."

"But Link, what about Saria? Don't you want to say good bye?"

"Why bother. With me gone, Mido can finally become the favorite. I'll just wither away in her heart anyways, just like those Kokiri who became lost in the Lost Woods…" Link stormed up the ladder in front of his house and darted inside.

Navi floated in the air for a few moments, "Wither… away…" she shook her head. _Now's not the time._ She floated up and into Link's House, wondering what all the noise was, then had her fairy jaw drop; Link stood with ten deku sticks tied together hanging over his shoulder like a bag, while two large bags were hung from his belt, one for deku nuts, the other for seeds. And then…

Link had noticed the blood on his shirt, but he didn't mind it. He wasn't bleeding anymore; it was just a stain. "I think I'm ready to go, Navi"

"I still think you should rest first"

"Nope. No time. Sooner I get out of this place, the sooner these idiots can forget about me." Link stepped through his door, just about to jump off of the high platform, when-

"Why are you so rough!? You're cruel!" Navi screeched.

Link stood frozen for a few moments, though not because of guilt. "Do you really want to know?" He gazed over his shoulder at her, "Meet me at the path out of Kokiri Forest in a half hour. I have to go get some supplies." He hopped off of his perch and back down to the ground, turning to look up at the fairy, "I'll tell you some stories on the way to Hyrule Castle!" he about faced, then ran off towards the Lost Woods.

"That boy…" Navi ran a hand through her white fairy hair, "He's going to be a problem to take care of…" She sighed, then flew over to the exit, only to find, "Huh…?"

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"Haah!" Link cried as he ran through the woods while carrying a large, bulky bag, ten stalchildren giving chase. Link had taken a few of the monsters down in his journey through the Lost Woods, but ten?! _Ten is a little too much for me to handle, especially when I have extra cargo! _He slid around another corner, thankful to see light at the end of the next path, "Finally!" he laughed as the Stalchildren receded into the ground, forced back by the still existing protection of the Great Deku Tree, "Whoohoo!!!" Link shouted as he jumped clean over the fence guarding the smaller cliff of the Lost Woods, rolling on impact to avoid any damage, taking care to keep his bag of supplies safe as he rolled back onto his feet, laughing up a storm, "That. Was. FUN!" he continued, walking towards the exit. He could still feel a sting in his ribs with every step, but he didn't really pay it any mind. He quickly stopped laughing as he noticed Mido standing in front of the hollow log. _Great. Now what does he want?_

"Link!" Mido pointed at him, becoming even more upset as Link humorously held his hands up like he was in trouble, "kuh- Knock that off!"

Link shrugged, a smirk crossing his face, "All right, all right. What do you want?"

Mido held out a brown bag, "Take this."

Link took the bag, examining it, "What? A bag? Does it have poison in it or something?"

"No, you bleeding idiot, it's a magic bag." He couldn't help but laugh at Link's questioning stare, "The Great Deku Tree gave it to me a long time ago. It allows you to store an enormous amount of items inside of it, even large objects can be stored." He nodded with an odd grin on his face… well, odd to Link, "Though, for some weird reason, it can hold only a certain number of specific items."

"The Deku Tree gave this to you?" Link asked, opening up the bag to put his deku sticks, seeds, nuts and his new bag of goodies inside.

"Did you think I just adopted the name "Great Mido" on my own? I'm not _that_ selfish!"

"Well, you just got a bit more respect from me Mido." Link chuckled, putting the bag, which folded tightly, in his pocket, "I thank you. And I guess…" He walked past him into the log, Navi darting out of nowhere to his side, "I'll see you in hell"

Despite the comment, Mido turned with a grin and shouted, "Don't go dying out there! I want you to come back so I can rub my being Saria's favorite in your face!"

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"Link, did you really have to say that? I mean, he just put your differences aside and helped you." Navi asked, floating alongside Link, curious about his slow pace.

His footsteps clunking on the wooden bridge echoed through the valley they crossed over, "I'm thankful, but he still put me through years of hell. I felt I was obligated to tell him that."

"Link! Do not talk like that!"

"Ah…" Link kicked the next bridge board, actually feeling a little guilty. He had never cursed before… _I guess I am getting some… Odd feelings about leaving._

"So you're leaving."

Both Link and Navi spun to face the voice, "S-Saria!" Link stared at the green haired girl. She followed him? _No… She was already here…_ Link concluded.

"I knew one day you would leave, because…" She stepped closer to him, "We're different, you and I." She dug into her pocket and brought out a pink potato shaped object, "I want you to take this Ocarina. It's very important to me, and I'm sure you could find some use for it."

Link slowly held out his hand, hesitated, then took hold of the ocarina. He suddenly felt possessed, bringing the ocarina to his mouth. He took a breath, then blew into it, playing a few notes, while also screwing a few up, immediately stopping when he heard Saria giggle.

"When you play this Ocarina, I want you to think of me, and all of the other Kokiri. We'll all be waiting for you to come back safe."

Another ping of guilt struck Link, this one overwhelming. He began shaking lightly, and he knew if he stayed any longer, he'd break. He took a step back, then another, then turned and bolted across the bridge, not daring to look back. He knew. _If I see her eyes again, I won't be able to leave… _

_Thank you… _

_Saria._

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Link let out a loud yawn, cleaning out his left ear with his pinky finger, though immediately snapping back to attention when the large owl shouted, "Are you even listening to me?!"

"Yes, Sir!" Link sat up straight. Though he actually wasn't trying to act like a smart ass, he sure did look it…

"Hoo…" the owl cooed in annoyance, "Well then, let's review."

"Uh, no, I think we understand, Mr. Gaebora!" Navi explained. She too was desperate for the owl to shut up.

"Hmm…. Very well. I'll be keeping watch on you two. Safe traveling!" he cried before flying high into the air.

"Phew… What a blowhard." Link sighed in relief.

Navi followed suit, "I have to agree with you on this one… We lost at _least_ an hour of time listening to him."

"He said if we get going now, just walking, we'd make it to Hyrule Castle in two days, right?" Link stood up and stretched, "If that's true, then we'd better get going." He straightened out his tunic, then headed for the break in the trees that led to the actual field, "This is so exciting! I get to see the world from the point of view of a hero!"

Navi quickly corrected him, "To many people, you're just a kid. Talking like you're some hero is bound to get you in serious trouble."

It finally dawned on Link that he'd come to hate his fairy partner, "You always have to be a buzz kill, don't you, Navi?"

Now, quick to correct herself, Navi started with a new topic, "So tell me more about your past, Link."

"I didn't hear a please!" He quickly lost the attitude when he heard Navi growling. _Not like a fairy can hurt me that badly… but, might as well tell her. _He sighed once more, then began walking, "Let's start with an older story…" Navi flew at his side, anxious to hear why he acted so… mature over the other Kokiri, "When I was a little… shorter, than the others, Mido used to constantly make harsh comments about the "Shorty", but he didn't stop there.

Mido started getting violent. He'd crack me over the head every time he saw me, laughing when I'd drop to my knees rubbing my then swelling head. Mido never stopped there. He would just laugh and shove his boot in my face, forcing me to the ground, making comments on how I was even shorter. He'd then continue the so-called "punishment" by twisting his foot in my face while pressing down as hard as he could so I couldn't breathe… The only person who ever tried to help me was Saria…"

Link took a moment to bring his foot back before swinging it forward, belting it as hard as he could. The rock flew pretty far down the path, "Some kick you've got." Navi giggled, "But… I think you…"

"I think I hit something." Link laughed, "Wonder what it is!" He took off running towards the white object in the distance… only to find an even worse nightmare than five Gohma's attacking at once.

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"What… is it?" Link asked, turning to Navi.

"It's a cucco, Link. You've never seen one before?"

"Nope." He didn't have much attention towards any other words as he poked the winged thing with a deku stick. _Wonder what it's doing all the way out here?_

"Weird. I don't think I've ever seen a cucco with green eyes…" she then took notice of the irritated coo coming from the cuccoUh, Link… I don't think you should do that." Navi flew behind Link, peering over his shoulder.

Link couldn't help but laugh, "Why not?"

"CUCKOKUKOCOOO!!!!!"

"What the- Aah!" Link cried in pain as the Cucco began pecking and scratching him furiously, "Get away from me you stupid bird!" Link took off into a sprint, flailing his arms wildly as the chicken somehow kept up with him, "Navi! How do I get it to leave me alone?!"

Navi just floated in place, a huge grin on her face as Link ran in circles around her. _That'll learn him._ She giggled as Link began rolling, diving, bobbing, weaving, anything to get away from the crazed cucco, _Still, it had some pretty odd eyes. Beautiful compared to other cuccos I've seen, but still odd._ After following link up the path for about twenty minutes of torment, she finally decided to end Links pain. _I think he's learned his lesson._

Navi flew up to the cucco, sounding a high pitched screech by flapping her wings as fast as she could.

"Bawkawk?" the cucco immediately calmed down and stared at Navi, then returned it's eyes to Link.

He was sure it was peering into his soul, trying to find out where he'd go next. _What IS this thing…?_ _It's gotta be the king. The king of all monsters!_

The cucco's eyes narrowed while still locked onto Link. He knew it was about to attack again, and Navi noticed the glare Link was receiving. "Shoo, shoo!" Navi flew around the cucco, scaring it off.

_How the heck did she scare it off so easily? Shoo, shoo?_

The second the cucco was out of range, Link fell to a sitting position, "Phew! Thank the deku… uh…" he coughed then corrected himself, "Thank Din that I have you here with me, Navi. Otherwise that thing would have killed me." He still was getting used to the three goddesses being the higher beings.

"Let that be a lesson to you," Navi said, giggling as Link tapped around his face, flinching every time he found another open peck wound, "You shouldn't pick on smaller animals. Especially not Cuccos."

"Well, I know that now" Link sighed. _That thing… I'd better watch out for other cuccos in the future…_

As though reading his mind, Navi put in, "Although most don't go crazy like that without being seriously irritated. Being poked with a deku stick… that just seems too little of a catalyst for its anger."

_That took a lot of extra time…_He stood up, checking the position of the sun; _Another 3 or four hours until dusk. We'd better hurry and get as far as we can._

"Navi, we should go." He didn't wait for his fairy companion to respond, moving into a power walk of sorts as he pulled out his map to check their position. He was truly thankful that the blowhard owl had gifted him with a map that had special markings to let him know where he was in the field, such as breaks in the path, trees, boulders, etc. How an owl was able to write down these land marks, though, still eluded his imagination.

He turned to look at his winged friend, "Looks like we're making progress despite that little menace."

"Yeah, but you look terrible. Thankfully we have a day to heal before we meet the princess, though a day isn't much…"

"You know, I've been thinking. If she's a princess, that would mean she's important. Wouldn't that also mean that she'd need to be guarded?" Link had folded his arms behind his head, staring up at a couple of hawks who were circling in the sky above him. _They must have found a kill…_

Link always enjoyed a hunt. He personally had never hunted an animal to kill, just to chase and pass time. Every once in a while he'd come across a rabbit or squirrel in the Lost Woods, chasing them around every corner; he knew, though, that no matter how long he gave chase, he'd never get lost. The animals knew their way around the woods better than Saria did. By miles, actually.

"That's an interesting point. I'm surprised you thought of that." Navi had hid herself under Link's hat to escape the sun and give her wings a rest.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Link growled. Further and further he fell into the abyss of hatred. _She is so god damn annoying!_ He cursed, _I'm just going to stop talking to her. That way she can't find a topic to discuss-_

"Tell me more about your past"

_I hate you._ Link sighed. He had no choice. He promised her he'd tell her his tales… _Come on, time, get moving!_

####################################

"And so I ended up sleeping in the Lost Woods for 3 weeks until Mido's gang finally decided to move their "Base" out of my house." Link finished his sixth story as he set up camp. He had to admit: it felt good to share his pains… plus the looks Navi made when she was actually out of his hat were priceless.

With a thud, Link sat down, loosing a tired sigh, "Whew! We walked pretty far today!" he pulled off his boots then stretched his toes. _Thank Din I'm used to walking long distances. And I thank her again for having Mido give me that magic pouch._ Speaking of such, he reached into his new super pocket and brought out two Deku sticks then broke them into pieces.

"Making a fire?" Navi immediately knew how he'd respond.

"Obviously." After spreading the sticks in a circle with a large pile in the center, Link pulled out a pair of rocks, "Cracker time." He laughed.

"Cracker?"

"Yeah, these rocks. They can start fires. They make a cracking sound when you click them together, completely different than other rocks, so I call them crackers. They're a secret item I've hid from the other Kokiri."

Navi couldn't help but put a hand to her head. _He's still a kid, and he's been sheltered all his life._ She knew she'd have to teach him a lot of things during this journey… some… she preferred to not think about.

"They're flint."

"Hmm?" Link looked up at the blue orb.

"Flint. They're an uncommon stone that, when clicked together, make a spark that can turn into a fire. They're extremely rare in Kokiri Forest. Where did you find them?"

Link didn't even have to think about it, "I found them five months ago in the Lost Woods. There's a giant stone archway surrounded by boulders. I was heading to the Sacred Forest Meadow to talk to Saria. It was the only place we could have privacy while we talked." He realized he was trailing off.

"Well, anyways. There's a large stone archway about halfway through the woods that is surrounded by boulders. On my way through, I heard a lot of noise behind the boulders, and then…" He threw his arms into the air excitedly, "There was a huge explosion! It rattled the ground around me more than Gohma's stomping. A whole bunch of rocks flew over the boulders, a bunch of them connecting with each other, making the cracker sound. I thought it was a pretty cool sound, so I took a couple of them," Link took a breath, "It wasn't until a few days later that I accidentally set my bed on fire…" he scratched the back of his head, embarrassment apparent as he chuckled, "Took me a while to get new sheets."

"That's… interesting" Navi nodded. _Wow. Didn't think he'd have something like flint stones. Definitely useful._

Link didn't waste any time grabbing a bite to eat after he started the fire. He dug through the magic bag and pulled out several large fruits, ranging from pears to apples to peaches. "Fruit?" Navi questioned.

Link sighed in annoyance, "Not much else to take with me," He took a bite into an apple, a little bit of juice running down his chin, "Unless I act like a wild animal and kill a stalchild to suck on it's bare femur." He noticed a wolf howling. _That must mark when it's nighttime…_

_He knows what the stalchildren are called, but he doesn't know what a cucco is…_

An odd sound caused the two to turn and look over their shoulders, "Uh Link… you just might get your chance to bite onto a femur… or a knee cap… or a-"

"I get it Navi!" Link snapped as he, in an instant, drew his sword and sliced through the stalchild, severing it in half.

Waiting for him to cease his "Hero laugh," Navi didn't hesitate to say, "You're improving rapidly. Last time I saw you draw your sword we were in the Great Deku Tree fighting Gohma.

"Well, I had to fight my way through the woods trying to get these fruits" Link explained, pulling a pointed rock out of his right bare foot, "They're annoying, but man they're weak, these-"

"Stalchildren" the two said in unison.

"Why'd you say it with me?"

Navi pointed behind him, "That's why."

Link's jaw dropped as he turned. "Holy Nayru…" Behind him stood an army of stalchildren. But they were a lot bigger than the one's he'd seen in the past. "There's got to be at least twenty of them!" He flew back to the fire, sitting down only for a moment to slip his boots back on, stood, and then stomped the fire out. "Let's go Navi!"

"Wait, you're going to fight them!?"

Link's anger only fueled the strength of his strikes as he lashed out at the closest corpse. _Am I going to fight them, _of course_ I'm going to fight them._ As his sword connected with the ribcage of his target, however, he realized a tactical retreat could be considered a viable option. His blade pierced the bone for a moment before bouncing off.

_These suckers are tough. I'm going to have to work hard to get out of this alive, _He concluded. "Well, time to get to work!"

############################

Tsukasa: Whoa… Just whoa. I can't believe it hit ten pages (on Microsoft Word). It wasn't this large when I thought of it in my head.

Karen: That's because you add detail in text dummy

Tsukasa: Well I could continue but, ironically enough, It's three in the morning again. So, We'll just cut it off here and continue next time.

Karen: Even writers need sleep, I suppose.

Tsukasa: Will Link survive the army of stalchildren? Will he make it to Zelda in one piece?

Karen: And will the cucco return, more pissed of than ever? Wait and see!

Tsukasa: I'd like some constructive reviews! … but only if you all want to. You're the reviewers *sweatdrop*

Karen: You're pathetic.

Tsukasa: SILENCE!!! I kill you!

Karen: All right reserved to Jeff Dunham…


	3. Of Cuccos and Ladies

Goddess Send

Act 2.5

Hyrule Field Horror Part 2: The Cucco Strikes Back (And Link makes a new friend!)

Karen: The cucco strikes back? And that second part in the parenthesis…

Tsukasa: Yep! Pretty clever, huh?

Karen: Don't know if that violates any copyrights…

Tsukasa: I checked. Since they can't relate to it, it doesn-

Karen: Well! Link sure seems to be in trouble, doesn't he?

Tsukasa: I wasn't done ta-

Karen: Surrounded by an army of Stalchildren, Link realizes that these were not nearly as easy to kill as the forest stalchildren. Will he survive?

Tsukasa: Hey, hang on a-

Karen: Stick around to see how our little fairy boy gets out of this mess! And how he makes a new friend, apparently.

Tsukasa: *sigh* We don't own Zelda…

############################

"Hup! Haa! Seya!" With every cry and every swipe, Link dismembered another Stalchild. But he knew he wasn't getting anywhere. It would take a deaf, mute, and blind fairy-preferably Navi when pertaining to being mute- to not notice the horrid truth; with every stalchild downed, another two appeared.

_There's just no end to them!_ "Haah!" _Where the heck are they all coming from?!_ "Saaii!" _If there's this many..._ He didn't want to think about it, but the teachings of the forest rang through his head nonetheless.

_Stalchildren are Kokiri who have died…_

Or so he presumed. However, the likeliness of this many Kokiri…

Link slid to a halt, his wooden shield, advertising the wear from the skeletal onslaught, held high. "Navi!" He called out, his fairy companion flying high to keep out of range of the stalchildren, "Am I making any progress at all?!"

Navi responded silently by looking around, a look of dread covering her distant, yet readable features.

"Kuh…" He swung his sword over his shoulder, catching the rotting claws of another stalchild between the fingers, "For Din's sake-" He spun, bringing the Kokiri Sword around in a spinning uppercut, beheading the Stalchild before spinning once more into a horizontal slash, the momentum of his rotation allowing him to slice straight through the spine of the same stalchild as well as a second to his right.

"Navi, can you see if there's a part of the crowd I can cut through to get out?"

His fairy partner remained quiet again, though Link knew she was looking, immediately grinning as she stopped, facing to his right. He turned, raising his sword to strike the first stalchild when he heard a familiar, horrifying sound, "Oh no…."

"BUCUCUKOKOOOO!!!!!"

"Oh, for the love of Nayru…." He watched through the small line between the stalchildren as the cucco from earlier- he knew from the gleam of the moon reflecting gently off of it's green eyes- ran under the legs of the walking corpses, rushing towards Link, "No… no, no… No!!!!" Link screamed, flailing his sword and shield like bludgeons as he tore through the crowd of skeletons, not caring about anything other than getting away from the winged demon that drew closer to him every second. _Why is _He_ here?!_

"……………………" Navi couldn't spare a grin or a laugh as Link fled, though she did finally crack a smile when she witnessed a stalchild get thrown into the air, "I didn't know stalchildren could fly…."

_I suppose… I should follow him_. The sprite nodded, then took off after her soon to be scratch riddled companion.

################################

Link popped one of his now waning set of heart gummi's into his mouth to soothe the pain of his… _Battle scars._ He nodded, satisfied with his own personal way to explain the peck holes and trails of scratch marks that covered his arms, legs, and most of all his face.

"MAN, I hate that chicken!" Link bellowed, adjusting his sitting position before becoming just a little upset when Navi gave him a concerned, yet ignorant look, "What's your problem?"

"Shouldn't we be moving? The sun is out, there are no monsters, and the next map monument is just up ahead leading to Hyrule Castle!" Navi scolded Link, irritated with his lack of enthusiasm towards his important quest.

_She just can't give me a break…_ "All right Navi. But when night falls and the stalchildren come out, _you_ fight them while I get some well deserved sleep." Link grinned widely when Navi's glow weakened in fear. Not like she would actually hold true, but Link wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his hat to trap Navi and throw her into another Stalchild mob while he escaped.

Navi must have read his mind, he figured, when she suddenly said, "Ok, rest sounds good." It was either that, or his grin had spread into a maniacal smile without his noticing.

"Good to hear!" Link fell to his back with a content sigh. The sun didn't bother him much, though he did lower his hat to cover his eyes. Before doing so he did note that he could see tall pillars at the top of his sight range, be them upside down. He figured that it was the castle, though he had never seen a castle to compare. It didn't matter though, his tiredness persuaded him into a relaxed position. _If I can't sleep at night, I'll sleep during the day!_ He knew it wouldn't be that easy though. His body was dead beat, but he couldn't get comfortable in the daylight heat. Even without sleep, a little rest could definitely give him the energy to keep going. He just worried about the night time…

His partially contained laughter worried Navi, making her think that the lack of sleep was screwing with his head. However, Link was laughing at what he had done the previous night. _If that cucco hadn't shown up, I probably would have been stuck in that crowd for the rest of the night._

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As Link ran, all around him stalchildren rose then fell into the ground, trying to keep up with him. _How long is that bloody bird going to- oh my goddess!_ He dropped to his side, sliding under a giant stalchild's legs. As soon as he was clear, Link rolled back to his feet, sparing a glance over his shoulder, "What the heck was that thi-" his intrigue in the giant skeleton was cut short as the grudge holding cucco pecked him in the nose, "Yeow!"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Link still didn't understand why the bird had suddenly stopped the chase. He figured Navi had done something again, though she claimed she had nothing to do with it. _What, am I to believe this bird will just randomly attack then, with just the same amount of randomness, stop attacking? Hah!_

His ears caught a crunching sound… he passed it off as an animal or something of the peaceful sort until Navi spoke up, "Um… Link?"

Link tensed for a moment, his left hand slowly sliding to his shoulders, readying himself to roll to his feet with his sword drawn, but a cute, "Hmm?" coaxed him into merely moving his hat back to his head, revealing flaming red hair and a cute face, "Hey there," the girl giggled.

"Wha-wha!?" Link rolled, but not to his feet. Rather, he stood for a moment then slammed face first into the ground, leaving the girl questioning the sanity of the green clothed boy.

It only took Link a moment to jump back to his feet, stable this time, and question, "Who are you?!"

The young female blinked, then giggled again, "It's more polite to offer a lady your name before asking for hers."

"A lady…?" Link looked to Navi, who gave him a concerned look, "What's a lady?"

Navi couldn't keep her wings fluttering at the comment and slammed into the ground, frozen in embarrassment, not daring to look at the girl's distorted face, "Do you live under a rock or something!?" the girl screeched, practically blowing Link back onto his rear.

"Whoa, whoa! Wait, I'm confused here!" He paused, and she paused, "Can people live under rocks? Wouldn't that be too small for a person to-" Link was interrupted as the young lady slapped herself in the face, letting her hand drop down, then readied it to slap Link.

"Wait!" Navi flew in between them, "Please, wait!"

"Huh?" the girl gained another cute smile, "What's wrong, pretty fairy?"

Navi was slightly thrown off by the blind compliment, "Um… Link's not used to seeing a girl, that's all!" she had lost her calm, yet annoying, figure, falling into a more blunt state.

The fairy giggled at the confused look that had dawned upon the young lady's face, the two of them leaving Link in a temporal state of bliss and confusion as they discussed the lad's past.

"Link is a Kokiri. He's never heard of a lady"

"Oh, he's a fairy boy!"

"You… could say that"

"But what's so different?"

"Kokiri are always kids. They never grow up, and don't refer to each other by formal terms"

"Oh so he's just used to hearing girls called girls"

"Yeah, exactly, and-"

"Can you two _please_ fill me on in what's going on?" Link shouted, his anger practically bleeding from the glare that engulfed the two girls.

Navi huffed then flew over to Link, giving a brief run down of what a "Lady" is, "Ooooh….." Link stood, then bowed to his right knee, lowered his head to the girl and held out his hand. He at least knew how to greet new Kokiri, though new Kokiri usually weren't his height at first… he hoped this method worked with this Hylian girl as well, "My name is Link." If he wasn't offering a hand of greeting, he would have slapped himself for his stupidity. _Lady equals girl. Remember that, stupid!_ He scolded himself, though he still didn't fully understand the difference between a girl and a guy completely… That would have to wait for another day, he supposed.

His head lifted and his eyes traced the girl nervously when she giggled, wondering if he had done the greeting wrong, "My! What a gentleman, bowing with his hand out…" the girl took his hand and brought him back to a stand, "My name is Malon Lonole!" she chirped, though she had a look of intrigue on her face.

"Is… something wrong?" Link asked, feeling a little odd about her holding his hand. He never had this feeling when Saria held his hand…

"Well, Link is just an odd name. Don't you have a last name?" Malon's cute smile only filled even more of the odd emotion into Link.

"Um… Last name?" he asked, letting out a weak cry when Navi bopped him over the head, sick of explaining things.

"Your last name. Your family name" Malon explained, "Everyone has a last name."

"Oh, if it's my family name, then… I guess I'm Link Kokiri" Link chuckled as he gently tried to sever his hand from her grip.

This attempt was thwarted as Malon pulled him a little closer, feeding even more nervousness into Link's being as she looked right into his eyes, "You don't look too well Li… um… Fairy boy. And you're face is covered in scratches."

_Fairy boy?_

"Well… I didn't get much rest last night…" Link tried to pull away to little effect. _What a grip..._ Though he knew he could easily snap the grip if he actually wanted to, something was stopping him from doing so… Something he had never felt in his life.

"You ran into stalchildren?" Malon gasped. _That would explain the scratches too._

Link's eyes widened, "You've fought them too?"

"No, of course not. If you stay on the dirt paths, stalchildren don't show up." Malon said matter-of-factly.

Without breaking her grasp on his hand, he whipped out the owl's map with his other hand, hastily yet clumsily unrolled it with his one hand. As soon as it was opened, he looked it over, "…. Why that son of a...!" Link snarled, "That frickin' owl set us on a direct course to Hyrule Castle knowing that I'd run into stalchildren!"

He didn't notice that Malon was still hanging onto him when he swung around and brought his hands to his hair, violently pulling on it along with his hat, _He's… got such soft hair…_ Malon cooed silently as her hand followed his command, having to stop herself from fighting his movements to feel it again. It was also _after_ her brush with his hair that she realized she was still holding his hand, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to let go.

"He'd better pray I don't have my slingshot the next time I see him!!!"

######################

The two children decided on a detour from Link's quest, only going another hours walk to Lon Lon Ranch. Even after such a sudden brush of contact, the two had already shared stories to shorten the trip so that it felt like a breath on the wind.

Navi, however, had gotten sick of trying to halt Link's naïve banter and had housed herself in Link's hat. _Doesn't he realize that this is a very important task, and that he should _not_ tell everyone he sees about it?_ She was just glad that they had finished with Link's stories and had moved on to Malon's explanations of the outside world. The young red head had saved Navi the trouble of explaining human parents, the way the towns work, what rupees were (over the wooden coins that the Kokiri used as currency) and was gracious enough to explain what the differently colored gems were worth, as Link had found a few along his walk to the castle. The two had just finished the discussion of Malon's family and the connection of the first and last names when they approached the now visible ranch.

"So that's why they call your ranch 'Lon Lon Ranch'! Because of the end of your first name and the beginning of your last name, right?" Link tried to point out as he and his new friend walked up to the Ranch's front gates.

"Yeah, but many people confuse it with…" Malon cut short her response, running to the gate to grab a piece of paper that was tied to the center prong, quickly unraveling it, "Oh no…"

Link stopped by her side, trying to peak over her shoulder at the note that she held, "What's wrong?"

"I don't think you're going to get that rest I promised" Malon forced another giggle, "The ranch attendant, Mr. Ingo, left this note. Apparently my dad never came back from delivering milk to the castle… and Mr. Ingo went to buy some new tools at Kakariko Village. We should probably head to- Hey are you listening?"

Link peered over his shoulder at Malon, "Huh?" he had already moved up to the gates, looking over the lock with a thin deku branch in hand, ready to try to crack this new device without having to be taught.

His antics were ended before they could begin, however. Malon grabbed his hand- the one with the deku branch- and pulled him back away from the gate, "Don't even try it, Fairy Boy. We need to keep going."

"But…"

"No, you aren't going to break the lock. If I can't do it, you sure as heck can't." Malon nodded; convinced no one could best her at lock picking, a skill she was mysteriously adept with. She had cracked the locks on Mr. Ingo's hut to get a sickle he had hid inside, then continued by unlocking his tool cabinet. But she digressed silently.

"Um… it's not the lock I'm worried about." Link motioned to the sky; the sky had already gained a fiery red hue, similar to Malon's hair, "The sun's going down. We might have to deal with stalchildren." He said, noticing that there wasn't a dirt path leading in the direction of the castle, _Gee,_ _that makes sense…_

"Hya!" Malon cried, snapping Link's attention back to her, "Stalchildren are the least of our worries!" She didn't take the time to finish, grabbing Links hand before taking off into a sprint, Link tripping a little behind her before matching her speed.

_She's fast!_ Link chortled before asking, "What should we be worrying about, then?"

_He's not even panting!_ Malon huffed quietly, "They bring the castle draw bridge up at night so that monsters can't enter the town! And they don't open it till morning!"

"What!?" Link shouted before picking up his speed into what _he_ considered a sprint.

"Hey! What are you doing?! We should stay together!"

"I'll go ahead and tell whoever is controlling it to wait to bring up the drawbridge! Then you can catch up! You obviously aren't keeping this pace that well!" Link shouted over his shoulder before picking up his speed even further. All the running he did evading both Kokiri and stalchildren in the past- stalchildren being in the Lost Woods, of course- was finally paying off. He grinned at that thought, realizing that the other Kokiri were turning out to be blessings in disguise, but his grin snapped in half when Malon came up to his side, matching his pace, though with strained tears poking at the sides of her eyes, _She _is_ fast!_

"Hey!" Malon huffed, stumbling for a moment, "Fairy Boy! I can…" She huffed again, "keep up with you just fine"

"Well! You're definitely faster than Saria, that's for sure!" He laughed, "Just make sure you don't tri-" Link cursed himself both mentally and fatefully as his boot hooked a stone, slamming his face into the dirt, and, at that speed, causing him to burst into a rather dramatic roll, though he didn't force the dramatic pain that followed.

Malon slid to a halt, spinning and rushing to his side, "Fairy Boy!" She grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet, her breath strained.

"You idiot" Link scolded with a heavy breath, "Now that you've stopped, it's going to be impossible to move into that kind of a run again.

Malon knew he was right, but they were so close! If they could have kept going, they would have made it… _Maybe…_ She grabbed Link and forced both herself and the young Kokiri to run again, "The guards may be pretty dumb, and practically blind under their helmets, but maybe if we hollered loud enough, they might notice us before they close the bridge!"

This girl kept raising both Link's respect and spirit at every turn. _She's _definitely_ not like Saria…_

#############################

The pair could see the guard, and were screaming as loud as they could, but…

"The bridge!" Malon panted painfully, "They're…"

"HEY!!!!" Link screamed as loud as he could, "DON'T CLOSE THE BRIDGE!!!"

But the guard paid no mind. Malon slowed to a walk, "He doesn't even notice us…"

"Come on, maybe-"

"You'd better be as good as you say you are with that sword, fairy boy, or we're in for a long nig-" Malon was cut off as a furious blue light flew out from under Link's hat and darted for the bridge, "Was that…"

"Navi!" Link watched the fairy fly. He'd never seen her, or any fairy for that matter, fly that fast, but he figured she was just as desperate as the two children for a safe nights sleep.

The fairy flew over the nearly closed bridge and darted down to the guard, "HEY!!!" She screeched as loud as her fairy lungs would allow.

"Wha- What the!? A fairy?!" The guard stuttered, "Get lost!"

"There are two children out there! If you don't lower this bridge, they'll be killed by stalchildren! And if they do, I'll stay by your side and torture you for the rest of you're _life_!"

The threat hit home in the guard, "Lower the bridge! There are children out there!"

"Roger!" the guard at bridge control called down.

"Phew…" Navi sighed as she watched her companion and his friend walk across the bridge, the guard shouting for them to hurry, "If I were a hylian, I'd kiss you" Navi said playfully to the guard before flying back to Link's side, breathing just as heavily as the two.

"Navi…" Link coughed, "I'd be lost without you" He never thought he'd say that. In so little time he'd come to hate the annoying little sprite, but this… If he didn't have Navi, he may have died… he had practically broken his body trying to get to the bridge in time. If he would have had to fight another army of stalchildren…

The group-Navi now included as a true member along with Link and Malon- meandered into the empty Hyrule Castle Town Market. The retired barterer's paradise was swarming with dogs, and one even took interest in Link, running up to him and standing up on his hind legs in front of him.

"Oh boy…" Navi sighed, realizing Link had never seen a dog before.

Contrary to her belief, Link chuckled happily and petted the dog, "Hey there, puppy."

Navi lost her altitude for a moment, "Link, you've seen a dog before?"

By now Link had picked the canine up and was laughing at the kisses he was getting, "Yeah" he said between a laugh before setting the dog down to speak, "One time, when I was in the Lost Woods, I came across a man with a dog." He patted the dog before tweaking his left ear gently, causing him to sit down next to him, staring intently at his new 'master,' "He said he was trying to find his friend before returning to some place called…" Link paused, trying to think of the word, "Termina. He left the dog with me while he looked, leaving me with a few tips to keep the dog where he was." Link chuckled as the dog next to him whined.

"Wow. You're good with dogs, Link" Malon said, shocked at how he didn't even have to tell the dog to sit.

"Nah," Link waved off the compliment, "The man just told me that if you tweak a dog's ears the right way, they'll sit, or lay down, or roll over, and other cool tricks. They're so smart, though I think it's just a reaction to the tweak."

"Maybe their ears have a connection to their brain forcing them to sit…" Malon passed a theory.

Link's grin died as he thought about it. _Am I manipulating this dog into doing what I want… that's… horrible!_ He shook his head for a moment, dispelling the thought, "We should probably find a place to camp for the night."

Malon couldn't contain a maelstrom of laughter, leaving Link to wonder what had just sparked her humor, "You don't camp in a town, silly. You stay inside Inns." She did have to quickly correct herself, "Though not many people will let two kids check into an inn this late at night. Thankfully, though, I know a woman who would let us stay with her."

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Link asked excitedly, "Lead the way!"

################

"Benjamin!" the stout woman cried happily. Apparently, the dog who had been following Link around had a connection to this woman, "Thank you so much, young man! I thought I lost my precious Benjamin forever!" she waddled up to Link and forced a red rupee into his hand.

"Uh… sure, you're welcome." Link looked at the shining red gem. It had a far more luminous gleam than the green and blue rupees he had collected.

"Hey, Auntie Gertrude!" Malon practically shouted as she walked in behind Link.

"Now Malon, you don't have to shout, and you know I don't like you calling me Auntie." The lady stated, turning to her stove, already placing wood inside to make dinner, "I suppose you and your friend will be staying tonight?"

"Yep!" Malon chirped.

"If that's all right with you, miss." Link corrected Malon's rudeness.

"My, what manners coming from such a young lad," Gertrude commented, "You two go ahead and sit down. I'll make you some soup."

The pair obliged, Link leaning across the table to quietly ask, "Auntie?"

"She's a close friend of my dad's, and she let's daddy and me stay when we deliver milk to the castle."

"Friend? So then-"

"No, her and I are unrelated."

"Might I ask where your father is, dear?" the woman looked over her bulky shoulder.

"That's why we're here. He hasn't come back from the castle, and we were going to go up and see if we could find him." Malon replied, her legs gently swinging below the table.

"You may have some trouble with that, dear. Apparently someone tried to get into the castle without permission, so they've stepped up the amount of security they have around the castle."

"They should let me through. The gate guard knows me."

"Even so, they may not give you clearance."

Link, swirling in confusion in the talk, slowly pieced the conversation together, finally pitching in simply, "If they stop us, then we'll just find another way."

"You're friend is certainly diligent, Malon. May I ask you're name, young man?"

"Link. My name is Link…" He said, then quickly put in, "Kokiri"

"Quite the odd name, Link… And you said Kokiri? Does that mean…"

"Yep! He's a forest kid," Malon exclaimed, beginning another "heated" discussion about Link and how oddly set he was in the castle town.

#########################

"I'm sorry, Malon" The guard replied sadly, "I can't allow you to pass. We haven't heard from your father since yesterday, and no one has seen him."

"Aww… You're _sure_ you can't let me through?" Malon made a sad face.

"No, I can't. Sorry" The guard apologized again, noticing the young man in green who was ogling the castle, though he didn't place a comment.

Malon sighed. Her worry for her father was slowly growing into a rage, "He probably fell asleep somewhere," She said, kicking a rock as her and Link curved around a tall stone outcrop of the guard gate.

Link wasn't about to give up. He noted some thick vines climbing up the stone, "Hey, Malon" He called out as he took hold of a vine, pulling on it gently, "I think I can climb up this wall."

Malon spun, a smile spreading from cheek bone to cheek bone, "Really? Then let's go!"

"Are you nuts?" Link stated bluntly, "There's no way we can get past the guards in the light of day, no matter how blind they are." Link then corrected himself, "And _I_ will be the one going. I can't let you get yourself in trouble. They know you, and it could get you in big trouble with your dad if they told him that you were disobeying the rules."

Malon wanted to argue, but Link made a good point. "All right."

"Good" Link smiled and nodded, "Now let's go check out the market. Maybe you could show me around?"

"Sure thing, Fairy Boy!" Malon giggled, "I heard they just opened a shooting gallery. Maybe you can win me a prize with that slingshot of yours!"

"Wait, why for you?" Link regretted this as he was smacked upside the head.

"And here I thought you had manners!"

########################################

Tsukasa: I think I'll end it here. Next time we'll see how much of a thief Link is!

Karen: Except he won't be stealing anything

Tsukasa: He'll rob Talon of his sleep

Karen: Yeah, sure. What about that mention of Termina?

Tsukasa: Ah, that. Just figured it would be an entertaining add in, just like how Malon showed up in the field. I also took the liberty of making a Kokiri currency.

Karen: Creative liberties galore.

Tsukasa: Yep! Please review! We need to hear what you think in order to make this even better!


	4. Idiots, a Princess, and Fun on the Ranch

Goddess Send

Act 3

Stupid Guards, an Ominous Princess, and Fun on the Range

Tsukasa: On to chapter 3!

Karen: Tonight, Link's got to sneak past a whole platoon of guards! Will he make it?

Tsukasa: Or will he be like newbie players and get thrown out fifty times?

Karen: Are you trying to say something with that comment?

Tsukasa: Uh… WELL Let's get going! We don't own anything Zelda! *dives out of the room*

Karen: Hey! Get back here! I'm not a n00b!

Tsukasa: You said it, not me!

##############################################################

"Perfect…" Link chuckled with a hint of evil poking at the edges, "It's three o'clock. The guards should be pretty tired right now…" Link glanced up at the sky, "And the moon is covered by clouds! This should be easy" He took hold of the vines but was stopped.

"Link." Malon said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"I want you to have this…" She took his hand and placed a red orb inside of it, "It's my lucky charm. My mother gave it to me, and I take it with me everywhere. Maybe it'll help guide you past the guards." She smiled weakly, obviously worried about the little Kokiri.

Link stared at the gem for a moment, then clenched it in his hand tightly, "Got it," He said as he slipped it into his pocket, "I guess you won't be here when I get back?"

Malon shook her head gently, "Nope. I'll be back at the ranch. Make sure you come by when you're done seeing the princess. And tell her that Malon said hi."

Link was puzzled by this last comment, wondering if Malon knew the princess personally, but waved it off, "I'm going to get going then." Link took hold of a vine and began pulling himself up to the top of the stone outcrop.

"Good luck!" Malon cried out as Link disappeared into the night.

Link dropped into a roll. There was a guard on top of the gate that had already almost seen him, so he had no choice but to take the low road; or so he thought. Further up the path, the moon had broken through the clouds for but a moment, it's light glinting off the armor of two guards standing in the corners of the direct path up to the castle, "Figures. Here I was hoping I could just come in through the front door." Link brooded humorously. He dropped to his stomach and began slowly crawling up the hill that overlooked the main path.

"I'll bet there's one right up… shoot" Link ducked back down as a guard looked at where he previously was, then took his gaze elsewhere. "I hate it when I'm right…" Link sighed, moving sideways along the hill, making sure to keep just out of range of the other guards, "This is definitely going to be harder than I thought…" He found his hand drifting to his pocket, "Heh… Doesn't matter. I'll still make it, no matter what!" he said as loud a whisper as he dared, then crawled forward, onto more level land, "Navi…" he whispered once more, "Go distract that guard. And make sure you alter your color to yellow. Otherwise, they might come looking for me because you're a blue fairy."

"You do know it's not that simple, Link." Navi replied.

"Well, do it anyways!"

Navi sighed, then flew out of his hat, a heated yellow light flowing from her, "You're lucky I'm not like other fairies…" she snapped quietly, then flew up to the guard, bobbing up and down in front of him as Link picked up the pace of his crawl.

"Hey-what-get lost you stupid fairy!" The guard shouted.

Link cursed silently at how loud the guard was, but was relieved when no other guards called to see what was wrong, "They must be deaf too-" Link froze as his arm snapped a tree branch. "Shit…" Link cursed again as the guard spun to face the sound. In desperation, Link rolled so his back-and dark brown shield- faced the guard, then curled up as tightly as he could.

"Hmm…. I don't remember seeing that rock before…" Navi had hidden behind the guard to block out her light, hoping the guard would just pass it off… The guard took a few steps to examine the 'rock' then nodded, "Guess I'm just tired…" he sighed, then turned back to the fairy- "Where'd the fairy…" He shook his head, "Bah, who cares. The damn thing is gone."

As quietly as he could, Link rolled away from the branch, watching as Navi flew down from high in the sky to evade the guard's eyes again, "Thanks Navi." He smiled as the fairy nodded, then quickly flew back into his hat, "Let's keep going…"

As soon as he was clear, Link shot to his feet and went into a full out run; the guards were more spaced out the closer to the castle he got, leaving plenty of room for error. Despite the extra room, he was still amazed at how many guards had been posted, "There's at least thirty men here… wonder if they have any families that miss them twenty four hours a day…" Link wondered, then cackled, "Their loss."

This comment upset Navi, the fairy showing her irritation by slamming her fist into Link… Just as he was making his way up a stone wall, "Yeow!" He yelped, took a moment to look, then continued climbing as fast as he could.

"Huh- Hey!" a guard shouted, "Hold it!" he ran to the wall just as Link pulled himself up.

"What's wrong?" Another guard called out.

"There's someone going into the castle! Watch the gate! I'm going after him!"

"Shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh- ow! Knock it off Navi!" Link cried, edging towards the castle moat. He looked behind him, then back at the flowing stream, "Don't think I have a choice..!" he had to use ever last bit of willpower to not cry out in shock when he hit the frigid water, then had to use even more willpower than was in his body to dive down and hug the wall, hiding in the shadows once more.

Above him he could see the tops of the guards helmets, and could vaguely hear their voices, though he couldn't understand them. After a few moments, the helmets disappeared… then just as Link was about to rise back up, another guard looked right down at him, _I'm screwed…_ he stared up at the guard, resisting the urge to let out bubbles for air…

But apparently the goddesses were on his side, because the guard shook his head, then walked back to his post. Link was overjoyed, as well as dying for air. But he knew he couldn't chance it. He floated up a ways, then began swimming as fast as he could down to the other side of the moat, breaking the surface with a huge breath, gasping for the air he had forsaken for the past minute and a half, "Thank you, Din!" he shouted weakly, immediately ducking back down for a moment. _Keep quiet, you idiot!_

Once he was sure it was safe, he pulled himself onto the walkway that surrounded the moat, immediately freezing when he heard a loud noise, "Wha… wait…" he relaxed, "Snoring…" He followed the sound to a small alcove, where a large man lay in front of several boxes with a horned animal on the front of each, "That must be Talon…" _And that must be the milk he was delivering._ He walked up to the man, "Hey. Talon."

No use.

"Talon!" Link shouted, kicking the man in the stomach gently.

Nothing.

"Hmm" Link hummed as he thought. _What can I do that won't hurt him…_ his thoughts traced back to something Mido did to him a few times, _Got it!_ He knelt down and took Talon's nose, tightening his fingers to cut off the air flow.

It took longer than Link had planned, but the man finally shot to his feet, gasping for air, "What in tarnation!?" What tarnation was, Link hadn't a clue, though he was glad when the man stopped flailing around and took notice of the child, "Well hello there…"

"Hey" Link said simply.

"Now what's a kid like you doing in the castle?" Talon asked, eyeing Link suspiciously.

"Malon sent me. She's really worried about you" Link replied.

"_Malon_ sent you?!" Talon had suddenly begun to sweat profusely, "Oh no, now I'm going to get it! I never should have left Malon at the ranch!" Talon cried as he took off into a run, whining as he continued around the moat.

"Uh…" Link clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "Guess that takes care of one problem." He smiled, then looked across the moat, eyeing an opening that could lead him into the castle, "There's a hole over there, but… I don't think I can reach it." He looked around for something to help him, then noticed the milk crates again, "Hmm." He nodded in agreement with himself, "That'll work.

#################################

"What a pain in the neck…" Link groaned as he spied around the third patch of hedges; a pair of guards stood in a pile of rupees. Why there were rupees there, Link had no clue. However, he couldn't just walk around them like he did with the other guards. These guys weren't moving. And they hadn't moved once in the past five minutes, "These guys are definitely better trained than those other idiots."

He took notice of Navi floating high above him, "Something wrong, Navi?"

"There's a large wooden plank up here. You might be able to crawl across it." Once again, Link was happy to have his fairy around.

_Maybe I misjudged her._

"Nice." Link hopped onto the hedge, then gently got on his stomach and began crawling along the board, praying to the goddesses that nothing gave away his position.

They weren't with him this morning.

"What was that?" one of the guards asked when the board above him creaked.

"What?" the second guard looked at his partner.

_Oh shoot_.

"I think someone's above us." The guard walked toward the grass, looking at the board. No one was there.

"Well?" The second guard asked.

"Go check back there."

_Oh crap!_ Link was hugging the wooden pillar that held up the wooden plank. "Now I'm definitely screwed_._" He whispered.

"No, you aren't," Navi flew out of his hat and ran right into the first guard.

"Hey! Get lost!" the guard shouted, turning away to smack the annoying fairy as she continued to 'peck' him.

Link took this as a chance to get away. Just as the second guard came around, Link darted around the other side of the pillar, behind the first guard, then flew behind the next set of hedges. Navi followed close behind Link once he was clear, "Navi…" Link breathed, "You're a real lifesaver."

Navi was beginning to like the kind comments, _I knew he'd warm up to me._

Link let off a sigh, then peered around the greenery; There were two guards here as well. They weren't standing still, but they weren't patrolling nearly as slowly as the previous guards, "Damn…" Link sighed again.

Navi didn't scold him. Rather, she followed suit, "This is going to be hard as hell."

Link looked over the situation. _The first guard might end up catching up to the second guard, giving me a chance to- damn it!_ He just about shouted aloud when he saw the first guard turn and go the opposite direction, giving Link _no_ time to slip behind both guards.

"What can I do…?" He decided to check other options, his eyes dancing over each section of the garden before stopping on a window, "I wonder…"

"Got an idea?" Navi watched curiously as her companion pulled out his slingshot, "Wait, you aren't going to-"

"Nah. Take a look at that window. I don't think it'll break easily with those metal bars keeping it stable." Link loaded a seed into the rubber band, then fired the seed, watching it ricochet off the wall a few yards in front of him onto the wall to his left, then land right next to him, "That should work…" He waited for the guards to look in the opposite direction, then ran to the hedge near the wall in front of him, ducking down to check his shot.

"If I hit that window just right, it should ricochet right into one of the guard's helmets." Link explained to his still confused fairy.

"But if you do that, they'll know you're here!"

"In a way, yes…" Link grinned as he took off his hat and placed it over Navi, "When the seed hits the guard, you'll be right by the hedge over there, with my hat visible to them. When I say go, you take off, and I'll hide right here." Though he couldn't see the fairy, he knew she understood, "If all goes well, they'll run right by me, giving me the chance to hightail it to the next part of the garden. After I'm through, go back over the hedges and meet up with me."

"Ok" Navi mumbled from under the hat.

Link stuck out for a moment, aimed, "Fly true" then fired, watching the bullet go exactly where he hoped; off the window and right into a guards helmet. _I guess I'm a better shot than I thought._ "Navi, you ready?"

"What in Din's name?!" the guard shouted, looking around for the perpetrator who had shot him, "Hey!" he shouted as he saw a green hat sticking out of a hedge.

"Go!" Navi took off full speed, and Link huddled himself into a corner, almost loosing a laugh as the two guards flew past him in chase of the fairy phantom. As soon as he was out of earshot, he hopped to his feet and ran through the last garden and into the courtyard.

"Whoa!" Link said in amazement. He'd never seen so many flowers in one place, and they were arranged in the shape of three triangles, the top one orange and red flowers, the left one green and yellow, and the right one blue and violet, "The Triforce… pretty fancy" he chuckled as he meandered into the beautiful grove. Around the perimeter of the garden stood large fountains pouring out crystal clear water that glowed in the morning light, "Quite the beautiful place…" Link's gaze finally caught a blonde haired girl standing in front of a window directly in front of him, "Huh… oh!" he nearly forgot about the princess.

He passed a hand through his hair, hoping to make it look a little better, _Stupid hat. Always messes up my hair._ After a moment of fighting it, he left the golden locks alone. _They aren't getting any better._ He stepped forward, "Um… Princess Zelda?"

The young woman turned, a look of shock dawning on her, "Who… Who are you? How did you get past the guards?" the girl backed up against the window. She had a purple and white cap, and her dress was white, except for the front, where it draped from her chest down in a wide pillar of purple, the Triforce sowed into the fabric near her knees.

_My hair must be _bad. Link sighed, though he perked up when he heard Navi fly up to him, dropping his hat back on his head.

"They… never caught me…" she breathed as she floated back into the daylight.

"Oh? What's that?" Zelda leaned forward, "Is that…. A fairy?"

Link and Navi looked at each other, then back to Zelda, "Then are you… Are you from the forest?"

"Um… Yeah." Link nodded nervously.

"Then… then…" the girl stuttered, "You wouldn't happen to have… The Spiritual Stone of the Forest, would you!? That green and shining stone…"

It was Link who was now hanging back a bit, _She sure is energetic! _"Uh…"

"Do you have it?" Zelda leaned even closer.

"Um, yeah. I do…" Link dug into his pocket and pulled out the stone.

"Just as I thought!" Zelda giggled happily.

"I had a dream…" Zelda began…

################################################

The young lad and the well built woman stood outside the castle, "Take a good look at that mountain." Impa pointed, "That is Death Mountain, home of the Gorons.

They hold the Spiritual Stone of Fire."

"Death… Mountain?" Link stuttered. _Why use such a terrifying name? Why can't it be Happy Mountain, or Mount St. Lovely…?_

"At the foot of Death Mountain you will find my village, Kakariko. That is where

I was born and raised. You should talk to some of the villagers there before you go up Death Mountain." Impa looked down at the boy. "The song I just taught you has some mysterious power. Only Royal Family members are allowed to learn this song. Remember, it will help to prove your connection with the Royal Family. The Princess is waiting for you to return to the castle with the stones." Impa nodded, then backed up, raising her hand high, "All right. We're counting on you!" She shouted than thrust a deku nut to the ground, disappearing in the wake of the flash.

Link stared at the huge mountain, a large ring of smoke spinning around its peak, "Great…"

"Shall we get going, Link?" Navi asked nervously. She too was a little hesitant to head straight for the large, ominous mountain

"No" Link shook his head, then turned to face the large stone wall in the distance, "Let's head to the ranch and see Malon and her dad first." Link took a step then suddenly stumbled, "Oh shoot…"

"What's wrong?" Navi floated to his knee, "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No… I just remembered I never told Zelda that Malon said hi…"

Navi slapped herself, then Link.

###############

The air seemed to be fresher here, almost crisp to Link as he walked up the grassy path, stopping once he reached two large buildings, "Wonder where Malon is?" He could hear through the door to his left an occasional snore, "Talon must be in there." Link walked up to the door. _He'll know where Malon is._

As Link opened the door and peered inside, he immediately slammed the door as hard as he could and put his back to it, "Oh shoot!" He said, sweat rolling down his face in waves.

"What's the matter?" Navi asked, floating up to the door. She heard a noise she thought was familiar… kind of like…

"There's….a bunch of cuccos in there… a _lot_ of Cuccos…."

Navi held back as much laughter as she could, "They're not ALL violent, Link."

"Navi, I'd love to believe you, but I've had a traumatic experience. There's no way I'm going to-"

"GET IN THERE!" Navi shouted right in his ear, practically blowing him and the door down.

Every cucco was eyeing Link curiously, "Um…" he stood up and put his back to the wall, "Nice… Cuccos….." He then noticed Talon staring at him with a humorous grin on his face, "What?"

"Afraid of cuccos, are ya?" He asked, picking up one of the birds, "There's nothing to be afraid of. So long as you don't hurt them, they won't do anything bad to ya," He held the cucco out to Link, "And even if you do upset them, they don't hold grudges."

"I-I beg to differ." Link stated as he slowly took hold of the cucco. _It's so soft…_ He looked into the cucco's eyes, _They're black…_ He looked at the other cuccos. _Every single one has black eyes…_ "Huh…" He placed the cucco down, then turned back to Talon.

"I can't thank you enough for waking me up at the castle, kid. Malon gave me a good talking to, but she let me off after making me do extra work today." Talon laughed, making Link wonder who was in charge in the family, "How'd you like to play a little game?"

Link perked up at the offer, "A game? What kind?"

"See these three cuccos here?" He pointed at the three that sat behind him. Each one had slightly glassier eyes compared to the others, almost like they were about to cry, "These here are super cuccos. I'll toss them into that pack o' other cuccos there and you'll have to find them. If you find them in a minute or less, I'll give you a prize"

"A prize, huh?" Link chuckled, "All right. Go for it." He didn't have any doubts. All he'd have to do is look at the eyes, then he'd win for sure.

"All right then!" Talon turned, grabbed, then threw the cuccos in with the other feather piles, "Go!"

Link dove right into the pile grabbing one of the cuccos he had watched, "That's one!" He shouted happily, setting it down, smiling as it obediently waddled back to Talon's table. He looked around, gazing into every cuccos eyes, "Got ya!" He shouted as he grabbed another.

"Well I'll be! That's two in less than ten seconds!"

"Make that three in fifteen!" Link laughed as he held up the last cucco.

"Well, tarnation!" Talon whooped, "That's the fastest cucco rustling I've ever seen! Not even Malon can catch them that fast! Come over here, boy!"

Link obliged, setting the cucco down on the table before plopping to the floor in front of Talon. "Kid, you gotta tell me. How'd you know which ones were which so well?"

Link smiled again, "Look at their eyes. They're eyes are different from the other cuccos, more rotund, and glassy."

Talon grabbed on of the supers, then another, "Well! I'll proudly say I'm impressed. How'd you like to marry Malon?"

Link's eyes widened. Malon had only partially covered the concept of marriage, leaving him rather… hesitant to answer, "Uh…" Link looked at the ground, "Heh… sure, why not" he chuckled nervously, immediately lightening up after hearing Talon's howls of laughter.

"I'm just playing with you, there, kid. You and her are far too young to think about things like marriage." Talon stood and walked over to a wooden chest, "Here's your real prize," He opened the chest, reavealing a bunch of ice with glass bottles, "A bottle of Lon Lon milk! This stuff here is packed with all sorts of nutrients to help a kid like you grow strong" The bulky man laughed again as he handed Link the bottle, "You can keep the bottle too. We've got plenty more. Why not take a swig now? Can't say I can fill it up again without chargin' though."

Link stared at the white liquid, weighing whether he should drink it or not in his mind. _So this is milk, huh…?_ He popped the cork, put his right hand to his hip, then brought the glass to his mouth, taking a long drink.

"Now that's the way to drink milk!" Talon chortled at Link's pose, "You must have been drinking milk for a while to do that!"

Link corked the bottle, leaving another gulp or two of milk in the bottle. He was blushing mildly at the comment, "N-no, I've never had milk before. This is my first time." He explained as he wiped his mouth.

"Really?" Talon tilted his head, "Guess you've got a drinkers spirit in your or something, kid." Talon then shook his head, "I can't always be calling you kid, can I? I can't remember what Malon called you…" He began eyeing Link's fairy, "What's yer name?"

"Link Kokiri" he replied. He was getting used to using a last name.

"Kokiri, huh? That explains the fairy you've got there, then. Still, Link's an odd name." Talon commented, still watching Navi, "Hope you don't mind if I forget and call you Fairy Boy every now and then."

For a split second, Link glared at the man, but in that same half second he switched to a grin, "Go for it. Malon calls me the same thing, so I'm kind of used to it." Link then asked, "By the way, any idea where Malon is?"

"She's probably out in the field with that horse of hers, Epona. I'll bet she'd be mighty excited to see ya after telling me so much about ya."

"She was talking about me?" Link asked excitedly, immediately backing down from the sudden burst.

"Yep. She sure seems to like you, Fairy Boy. Better go find her before she gets lonely," Talon rose his eyebrow at Link after his little outburst.

"Uh… Sure." Link nodded before walking out the door.

"I've got a good feeling about that kid…" Talon mused before dozing off.

#####################################

As Link walked out towards the field, he heard an unusual sound, "Singing…?" He asked, panning his gaze along the field until he spotted Malon's shining red hair, "I never knew she could sing…" He had liked her voice, but her singing sounded like someone else entirely. It was… _Beautiful…_

He crossed the distance between them in a sprint, sliding to a halt in front of her, smiles on both of their faces, "Hey there, Malon!"

"Oh, Fairy Boy!" Malon giggled, "How'd you like the castle? Did you say hi to the princess for me?"

"Oh, heh heh, yeah, I did" Link laughed nonchalantly.

He hid a flinch as Navi flew under his cap and punched his head, "Liar…"

"So what did you think of her?" Malon leaned forward playfully, "Was she cute?"

"Eh… she was…" Link turned away from her, a cute smile appearing on Malon's face.

_He liked her._ She decided.

"She was odd. Really odd. She was talking about visions and stuff, and practically blew me and Navi away." Link turned back to Malon, though he was looking up, "Speaking of which, Navi did you actually catch all she was saying?"

The fairy poked her little head out of the front of Link's cap, "Sadly, not all of it… Though most of what she said was similar to the Great Deku Tree's story, so we didn't really miss much. You _do_ remember what she said about that Ganondorf guy, right?" Navi knocked on Link's forehead.

With a flick of his finger, Link shot Navi back into his hat, "Yes, I remember."

Malon stared into his eyes intently. "Um…?" Link backed up a few steps, "Something wrong, Malon?"

The red headed girl giggled once more, "Why don't you tell me what happened in the castle?"

Link let out a relieved sigh, "Sure." He noticed a bench a few yards away under an awning, "Why don't we sit down there?"

Malon nodded happily, taking his hand to lead him over. He didn't understand the feelings that were rushing through him again… _What is this…?_

################################

"Wow! So you're going to save the world? That's so cool!" Malon cried out giddily, "Wish I could come along!"

Link looked at her with a smug grin, "I don't know if you could take the punishment I go through."

"Oh what do you know!" Malon huffed, "You've only been in one place that was dangerous"

"Three, actually" Link corrected, closing his eyes as he spoke, "Though the third one wasn't exactly dangerous," he was obviously talking about his time sneaking into the castle.

"E-Either way, I'm tough! I can take a lot of punishment!"

"Have you ever fought a stalchild?" Link sat up then leaned towards her.

"Um… no, I-"

"Have you ever sliced a keese in half with a sword, just as it was about the latch onto your neck and suck the life out of you?" He leaned even closer, their foreheads practically touching.

"No, I haven't but-"

Link practically forced her onto her back as he pressed his head against hers, "Have you ever had to force one of your own bones back into position?"

"No!" Malon cried weakly, "I haven't!"

Link shot back to a normal sitting position, his arms crossed and his eyes closed, "Then you aren't fit to come along." He finished with a nod.

Malon wiped her forehead as she sat up, "You're mean…"

"Life's rough. I just went through a lot as a kid, so I'm pretty much built to take this kind of stuff." Link nodded again.

"But you're still just a kid. And kids shouldn't be out risking their lives" Malon countered.

"Pheh" Link snorted, "This is _far_ less dangerous than dealing with the antics of the Kokiri"

Malon stared at him for a moment. _I can't tell if he's actually serious about that or not._ She waited another moment, then stood up and stretched, "Well, enough lounging. I'd better get back to my chores."

"Hey, wait" Link stood up and grabbed her right shoulder, "Anything I can help with?"

Malon's grin answered Link's question.

##############################

"Come on, Fairy Boy! It's not that hard!" Malon shouted as Link held onto his mount's hair for dear life.

"That's easy for you to say! I thought-gah- Epona was calm!" Link shouted before being bucked off, "Haa- ack!" he groaned. _That's tough…_

Malon ran up to him with a callously smug grin on her face, "How do you expect to save the world if you can't even ride a horse?"

Link flew to his feet, "Who said I'd have to ride a horse in order to save the world!?" he replied angrily, though as soon as he had said it he fell back into a sitting position, "Man…"

Malon kneeled down, her grin widening even further, "What's the matter, tough guy?"

"I'd rather not say…" Link groaned, rubbing his legs, "I hurt in places that I probably shouldn't mention around a girl…" He at least knew that from watching the other Kokiri be idiots, though he didn't fully comprehend why.

"Oh, that. You'll get used it," Malon turned and walked away slowly, "Fun's over, Fairy Boy. Now we need to do some more chores."

"More…? What else is there to do?" Link asked, struggling to get up.

"We need to change the horse feed, refill the water troughs, feed the cuccos, milk the cows…"

"Great…." Link sighed before falling over again.

####################################

"Ugh!" Link moaned as he fell onto his bed. Talon had been kind enough to let Link use the bed in the smaller stables. Apparently since they upgraded the main stables, the backup had been set up as a guest bedroom of sorts. Though he had made it clear to Link that once in a while cows were kept in the "guest bedroom." Link just prayed that if he did come back to rest-as Malon and Talon both had said he could come back any time- he wouldn't be stuck with any cows. They smelled bad enough when he was watching Malon milk them. He'd hate to sleep with one.

He wasn't quite ready for bed despite the time, "Eleven-thirty. I've been working all day, and yet I'm not that sleepy…" Link said to himself…

"Can't get to sleep?" Navi popped out of his cap to stretch her wings a bit. She had hid in Link's hat all day to escape the sun, though she was quite ready to go to bed.

"Nope… Just wondering about something…" Link looked at his fairy, "Whenever I'm around Malon, I get this weird feeling. It's a happy feeling, but still weird… I never felt it when I was with Saria or any of the other Kokiri girls."

Navi's glow intensified, "Oooh! Link's got a girlfriend!"

Link shot up, "No I don't!" he then stalled, thinking about it, "Wait… Malon didn't say much about them… What's a girlfriend?"

Navi lost all motor skills. She dropped to the ground, bouncing lightly before coming to a rest. "Uh… Navi?" Link leaned down to watch her, being blinded as she suddenly flashed with energy and shot right up to his face.

"All right! Since the Great Deku Tree wasn't Great enough to teach you this, I'll be courteous enough to tell you the secrets of life."

"Why do I get a bad feeling…?" Link immediately shut up when he noticed Navi's death glare. He settled himself into the bed, put his hands behind his head and laid down, "All right. I'm ready to listen."

#########################################################

"Wow. That's…" Link took a moment to look down at his waist, "Interesting…"

"You're taking it far better than other Kokiri I've seen…" _Not like many of them ever did learn about this, but…_

"Well, it's not all that surprising." Link sat up, "I mean, sure, I thought _that_ was only to go to the bathroom with…" he kicked his legs over the bed and let them dangle, "But, it's still not something that would truly shock me."

"Really? You're definitely tough, Link. I'll give you that"

"Of course, I'll never look at a girl the same way again" Link added in, "Hey Navi"

_He'd better not-_

"Do fairies have the same parts girls do too?" A long branch of silence filled the room. _Maybe that was a bad… thing… to ask…_

"Link…"

He immediately tried to correct himself, "Di-Did I say something? Did I? I don't think I did- Well, good night Navi!"

"Oh you're going to sleep?" a voice came through the door before three knocks, "Well, good night then."

"Hu- Malon?" Link sat up, "No I'm awake!"

"Oh, can I come in then?"

"Sure!"

The door swung open, but what came in first were two dinner plates, "Glad you're still up. I'm still a little hungry" Malon explained as she closed the door behind her, "And I was wondering if you would like to help me finish off the leftover food."

Link smiled happily. He wasn't feeling to brave when they had had dinner, so he denied the offer for seconds for manners sake. Though, that was several hours ago. He was now coming to the point where his stomach would start groaning, "Gladly."

Malon hopped up onto the bed, then handed him his plate; beef and chicken stir fry with cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms. Link wasn't accustomed to the meat, but he had quickly adapted to their respective flavors.

He lifted up his fork, then turned to Malon, "I never did get to tell your dad how good of a cook he was."

Malon stared at him, her right eye brow raised, "Um… What?" Link asked, taking a bite of beef.

"I wouldn't trust dad with marshmallows over a campfire, let alone over the stove." Link didn't know what marshmallows were, but his look of confusion led Malon to continue, "I'm the cook here."

Link blinked. She cooked it? "But you're just a kid. I thought you said the parents take care of the kids…"

"It's kind of reversed in this family," Malon sighed, "Ever since my mom died, dad has become lazy. Mr. Ingo and I do all the work around here. He's even starting to slack off on his work when he's out delivering milk, like he did at the castle…"

Link finished his last piece of chicken before saying, "Well, whenever I come back here, I'll help out as much as I can, ok?"

Malon looked at him and smiled, "Thanks, Fairy Boy."

"Sure thing" Link replied. Something was on his mind… Something he dreaded, "Hey, Malon…"

"Hmm?"

"How'd you hear me say good night to Navi earlier? I said it pretty quietly."

"Oh" Malon giggled. Link had a feeling he'd start to enjoy that giggle. "I have pretty good hearing. My dad says that my hearing is up to par with the horses."

Navi knew what Link was getting at, "You didn't… hear our conversation, did you, Malon?" The blue fairy asked, her glow dim in fright.

"No, I didn't." Malon leaned forward towards Link, "Why?"

"Nothing, no reason." Link answered.

"You keeping a secret from me?"

Navi pitched in once more, "No! It was a secret that the Deku Tree entrusted me to tell Link and Link only once he had talked to Princess Zelda."

"Oh, ok then. I won't go between you and your deity" Malon smiled, finished her food, then got up and headed for the door, "Well, good night, Fairy Boy." She nodded, and then made her way out.

"Night, Malon!" the Kokiri and fairy both said before settling down. Another thought had been troubling Link, "Hey, Navi…" He didn't wait for his partner to respond, "After we get some rest here, let's head back to the forest."

"You want to tell Saria about how you're going to save the world, right?"

"Yeah…" Just before she spoke again, he started, "And I do care about Saria… I just don't care about the others." Link snorted.

"Yeah, sure…" Navi yawned before settling down at the foot of the bed, "Good night, Link…"

"Yeah… Night…" Link fidgeted slightly, then slowly drifted to sleep

##############################################

Tsukasa: Whew! Almost 16 pages! Link sure had a bit of fun today, didn't he?

Karen: Plus he learned a few forbidden secrets… and at such a young age! Navi should be ashamed.

Tsukasa: Hey, we all need to learn it eventually, and I think sooner is better than later. It's less of a shock that way.

Karen: I'm sorry, are you hinting at something again?

Tsukasa: ………. Whelp! Stay tuned! Next time: To the Sacred Forest Meadow!

Karen *glares* And Link is going to have Mal-

Tsukasa: Shut it, dummy! That's a surprise!

Karen: *snarl*

Tsukasa: The next chapter should come pretty quickly! *looks at Karen* Just so long as I don't get killed….. See ya next time!


	5. To the Sacred Forest Meadow!

Goddess Send

Act 4

To the Sacred Forest Meadow!

Tsukasa: Alright, I'm sick and tired of changing this frigging note, so I'll keep it simple. Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy this fanfiction, and we don't own Zelda, just this idea.

P.S. the style changes a bit at the end. I've been practicing a lot since I first started this chapter, so it's changed a bit since the last teaser.

##########################################################

Link thrust his sword into the ground, put his right foot on the hilt, and then wiped his brow. _Four days…_ he popped the cork off of his milk bottle and downed half of it, letting out a long, "Puuah!" as he used his thumb to remove both the extra milk and sweat that had trailed to his chin.

It had been four days since he'd arrived. Despite the hard work he'd been doing around the ranch, Link had never felt better. He had a nice bed to sleep in, got free meals, and every once and a while Talon would toss him a free bottle of Lon Lon Milk. "I could get used to this," Link smiled, taking off his hat to flick back his hair, several drops of sweat attaching to his hand as he ran it through the greasy tangled mess. "Too bad it'll have to end soon…" he stepped off of the Kokiri sword, plucked it out of the ground and then returned it to its sheath.

_Tomorrow,_ he thought,_ I'm going home…_ In only a week he had already gained a case of homesickness. Even if the others ridiculed him, he knew it wouldn't last. With all the past incidents, Link knew the Kokiri still would, given time, welcome him back… And knowing this fact, the harsh words he said to Mido still ran through and trampled his heart from time to time. And the person he wanted to see most of all…

"Hey Link!" the bubbly red head Malon called out, "If you're done with the weeds, I need some help with this fence!"

_I guess I'll have to save the sentimental crap for later. _Link looked towards the now setting orange sun, then turned to his friend, "Coming!"

##################################################

"So tomorrow's you're last day here, huh, Fairy Boy?" Talon asked as he shoved a large spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Link mimicked Talon, though with a far smaller amount of rice, before responding, "Yep. I want to go tell my friend, Saria, about my qu…" he used another mouthful of rice as a chance to correct himself, "Trip to Death Mountain."

"I'm going to miss having an extra hand with the work," Ingo grumbled as he excused himself from the table, "Too bad you're probably going to get scorched up there worse than Talon when he makes pancakes."

"You've still got me helping you, Mr. Ingo" Malon replied to his comment, "And Link _will_ come back and help us out after he's done, _right_, Link?"

"Of course!" Link clenched his left hand into a fist then drummed his chest twice, "It's not like I'm doing anything dangerous up there. Just going to go visit the Gorons."

"Ah, the Gorons, huh?" Talon reentered the conversation after taking a swig of milk, "I got the honor of meeting their leader, Darunia, once. He's a bit of a grump, but loves to dance, be it that you provide good enough music."

"But I heard," Ingo growled as he headed up to the bedrooms, "That if you upset him, he won't hesitate to rip a guy in half. Don't see how much use to us you'll be if you only have one arm and one leg."

"Mr. Ingo!" Malon shouted.

In truth, Mr. Ingo didn't mean for this to sound as nasty as it did. The kid did good work. In fact, he gave Malon and even himself a run for their money when it came to working hardest.

"Well, I'll just have to make sure he can't get a hold of me," Link retorted cockily before taking a drink of his milk.

"That's the spirit, kid!" Talon held out his own milk in the form of a toast then downed the rest of the bottle.

Link had seen Talon do a "Toast" twice now, though he had yet to actually join him in the act. He finished the last few bites then stood, "Well, I'm done. I'll be outside if anyone needs me." He cleaned his plate off, then headed through the front door.

Talon waited till the door had closed before looking at his daughter, "Aren't all the chores done?"

"Yeah." Malon nodded, "He's just saying good bye to his new friend."

#################################################

Link lowered his peach colored ocarina from his lips once he heard her familiar whinny. He didn't even have to tell the smart horse what was going on. She knew, and she was nuzzling him far longer than usual in preparation. "Yeah… Guess nothing gets past you, huh?" Link ran his fingers down the pony's back, twisting his fingers through her hair, "What do you say, Epona? One more shot? One more for the road?"

The horse threw her head and snorted, straightening up a slight bit, "That's what I thought." Link laughed, throwing his left leg over her, _She's actually holding still! _He pulled himself up and straightened out, "All right, Epona…" he gripped her mane, then prodded her with his heels, "Hiyah!"

He nearly got thrown off as she reared back, but once she took off running he had a much easier time. "Hah!" he shouted happily before leaning down to pat Epona's neck, "Good girl." He straightened up again, then led her out onto the track.

All the previous times he rode her, she was always bucking, or throwing side to side as she ran, and it was nearly impossible for Link to stay on, and the pain he got in his legs made him wonder if it was worth it… But this, this was such a rush to him. He had to pull his cap a little lower to his head to keep it from blowing off, but even with it lowered he could still feel the wind passing through it, whipping his hair inside and out.

The crisp night air wasn't hot, or cold; it was just perfect for riding, or so Link personally thought. The duo passed the corral opening for a second time, coming to a halt in front of a young red head who quickly commented, "I thought you wouldn't have to ride a horse to save the world?"

"I don't, but this girl is going to need a bunch of exercise to burn off while I'm gone. Can't let her get rusty, you know?" Link shot back with a laugh as he saw Malon's features curl.

"I can ride her too!" the girl snarled, "And don't you worry, she'll be ready to buck you right off of her the next time you ride her!" even after the snarl, her features flattened out and her smile returned, "Just make sure you come back, ok?"

Link trotted Epona in a small circle in front of Malon, then hopped off of her, "You can worry about me when I go up to Death Mountain, you dork" Link replied, petting Epona one last time before slapping her on the rear, sending her off into the corral.

"You only just recently learned that word and you're already using it. You're adapting pretty well, Fairy Boy…" Malon complimented before adding in, "But don't call me a dork."

"All right, all right" the young Kokiri turned and looked up at the moon, "I just can't wait to tell Saria about all this. She'll flip!"

"You sure do like this Saria girl. You talk about her all the time."

"Well, she was the only true friend I had back in the forest. Only person I could relate to," Link put his arms above him, letting out a long groan as he stretched, "Well, I'm heading to bed. I need to be well rested for my trip tomorrow."

"All right, Fairy Boy." Malon waved as her friend headed off across the field, "Good night!"

Link looked over his shoulder one last time, then took off into a sprint, _I can't wait to tell Saria about Malon and the ranch, too!_

#######################################################

"I guess I'll see you guys when I get back" Link said as he waved a final farewell to his friends.

"Make sure you stay on the path this time so you don't get attacked by Stalchildren, you dummy!" Malon shouted to the ignorant Kokiri.

"Hey, Link!" Talon called out as he exited the house, late to the farewell.

_He remembered my name…_

"Here" the stout man tossed him a bottle, "Give that to your friend. You said the other Kokiri can't leave the forest right?"

Link grinned and pocketed the bottle, "I'll give it to her. Thanks, Talon."

"Now you get going!" Talon grinned, "Can't keep your friend waiting."

With one final wave, Link walked around the front corner of the ranch, disappearing from view, "You know," Talon began, "I really like that kid. He does good work, the animals like him, and I've never seen you so giddy in my life" he patted his daughter on the head.

"Da-Dad!" Malon cried, blushing madly.

############################################################

Although not as sweet, the air in Hyrule Field was relatively clean in Link's nostrils. He had already been traveling for an hour, cutting from the main path across the open field then back when the path curved back towards him. It didn't matter much at the moment if he stayed on the path, only at night. And Link was constantly checking his map to make sure that he could get back on the dirt road when needed.

He did have to admit. All the work and isolation had made him itch for a good fight, though he would control himself and only tackle one or two stalchildren every so often in the night. On that topic, he wasn't going to camp. He wasn't tired in the least, he was in good health. He had no reason to stop when he could reach the forest by morning, provided he kept a quick pace.

Something was bothering him though… Well, besides how quiet Navi was hiding under his hat. He felt like he had forgotten something. "Hey, Navi!"

The blue sprite poked her head out from beneath Link's hat, "Hmm?"

"Did we forget anything" Link asked, his pace slowing a little.

Navi just groaned, "No, not that I know of," before diving back under his hat to continue her sleep.

"Weird… I have the oddest feeling I forgot something really important."

########################################################

"I'll make a wish and pray it will come true…" Malon hummed cheerfully as shuffled through the guest room, filling the feed bins for the cows, "This simple wish for my love to reach you…" The song was made by her mother, or so Talon says. Talon isn't exactly the best at singing, so after some time he stopped using the song as a lullaby, and hadn't sung it in years, leaving both forgetful of the full lyrics.

"I know your love will remove this pain…, and-" She nearly tripped on a bucket, "Shoot!" she kicked the pail angrily, then gasped gently. Beneath the bucket was a piece of parchment, "Are?" She kneeled down, opening the paper as she stood back up. Her eyes darted back and forth as she read the message before finally shouting, "Oh Shi-!"

########################################################

"Dad!" Malon burst through the door, panting heavily.

"Malon!," Talon chuckled, "What's got you in such a fuss?"

"It's Link! He…" she took a long breath, "He left this here" she finished as she regained control of her lungs, showing the letter from Zelda to him.

Talon only took one look before rearing back into a roar of laughter, "Hohoho! That boy sure isn't organized, is he?" He sat down on a chair before continuing, "Well, we'll just give it to him when he gets back. No reason to go after him."

Malon thought otherwise, "But he needs it for the forest! He was going to use this as proof to his friend!"

"Nah, the way he talked about her, I'd say that Kokiri girl would believe him even if he made it all up."

"No, no! He said he really wanted to show it to her!" She ran for the stairs, but her arm was caught by Talon.

"I don't think so Malon. Link's probably halfway there by now. You'd never catch up to him before nightfall."

"Dad!" She whined. The jig was up. _Time to start begging_ she thought, giving him puppy eyes, " I really want to meet his friend…"

Talon stared at her for a few moments before finally sighing, "All right. But ya better not start any trouble, ya hear?"

Malon nearly tackled her father to the ground with her hug, "Thank you, Daddy!"

"All right, all right" Talon grunted as he broke her embrace, "But you better get going, or ya won't be able to catch him."

Malon spared one last smile before flying up the stairs to her room. She knew that she couldn't bring a lot with her, but her small rucksack at least permitted her to bring along an extra change of clothes, some imperishable food she kept in the back of her cabinet, as well as her small knife she carried for self defense- though she wasn't exactly the best with it. Taking one last look into her mirror to straighten out her hair, she ran back out of her room, down the stairs, and with one last breath shouted, "Thank you Daddy! " before slamming the door behind her.

It didn't take long for her to cross Hyrule field while running, but she knew she was a long way from catching Link, "I sure hope Fairy Boy didn't run to the forest…" She picked up the pace to a full blown sprint.

"Aaugh…" Link groaned loudly.

"Whaaat…?" Navi returned the groan.

"I'm bored! Out of my freaking mind!"

"Maybe we should stop and wait till nightfall. Then you'll have plenty of short, skinless hellions to entertain you. And I'm sure there are a few keese flying around the woods as well, and…"

"I _get_ it, Navi…" Link fell to his rear, taking a long breath, "It's odd… the closer we get to the forest, the more the air begins to smell… what happened to the clean air that surrounded the forest? It's only been a few days since we left."

"I'd guess that due to the Great Deku Tree passing, the forest has lost it's pureness." Navi contemplated, "It will probably become dangerous to the other Kokiri if this continues…"

"Do you think there's any way to make it better?" Link looked up at the cloudless sky, _Can't even try to pick out cloud shapes…_

Navi only sighed, "No matter what happens, we have to get whoever killed the Great Deku Tree…" She turned rolled onto her back while still under Link's hat, barely seeing the suns rays through the threads of his hat, "The magic he wielded still lingers in the forest, so maybe if we defeat him, the magic will be dispelled."

"Anything, just so long as the others don't get hurt… this is my problem, not theirs." Link said morbidly.

"Even so, because of you, they're still apart of this"

"Thanks for the comforting words. Sometimes I really…"

"Link!"

Link shot to his feet, his eyes dancing in every direction. He knew that voice, "Ma… Malon?"

##################################################################

It had been a short trip, but to her lungs it had felt like an entire week of running, "Link!" She blurted with the last bit of breath she could muster before collapsing.

Link's eyes widened, "Malon!" His boots tore into the ground as he dashed to his friend's side, "Are you all right!"

Malon painfully laughed as she rolled over, "Yeah… I'm fine… just… really out breath…" She giggled as she slowly sat up.

"What the heck are you doing out here?" Link flinched back a bit as Malon thrust a piece of parchment into his face, "This is Link, he…" He snatched the letter out of her hands, "What the… This is the letter from Zelda!"

Malon burst into laughter, "You forgot it, you dummy! The most important item you have and you forgot it!"

"I _knew_ I was forgetting something!" Link slapped himself angrily.

"What am I going to do with you?" Malon shook her head while holding her hands up at her sides mockingly, "If it weren't for me, you'd still be wandering all over Hyrule Town… No, wait, you'd still be out here in the field fighting Stalchildren, or even…"

"Okay already! It's like a repeat of earlier…" Link moaned.

"Are?" Malon tilted her head to the side, "What do you mean by that?"

Link merely pointed at his hat as an answer, smiling slightly when Malon silently mouthed out "Ah…"

"Well" Link smiled and began walking away, "Thanks for returning this to me, Malon. I'll see you when I get back to the ranch."

"Oh no," Malon grabbed Link's right arm, "I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Yeah I am"

"Nuh uh"

"Yeah huh

"Nu-"

"Yes I am!" Malon snapped, "You can't control what I do!"

"Actually I can. You can't just walk into the Kokiri Forest if you're not a Kokiri. Meaning…" A maniacal grin edged onto his features, "I'm you're only way in, and I say that you don't come with me."

Link took a step back as Malon gave him puppy eyes, not knowing what she was doing, "Um…. What…?"

"You know, it would really make me happy if you let me come with you..." Malon said quietly, sniffling lightly to add effect.

"I… said no… um… why are you looking at me like that?"

_Screw it!_ "You know, you owe me!"

Link stared at her, "Huh?" _ At least she stopped giving me that creepy look…_

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here!" Malon growled.

"Yeah I would. You said so yourself." Link smiled.

"Are?"

"You said earlier that I would still be here in the Field if you hadn't helped me." Link said proudly.

Malon's left eye began to twitch, _Man he is _stupid_! _"All right, genius, but after that, you wouldn't have gotten into the castle without my help, and you also would have slept in the streets if it weren't for me taking you to Auntie's house, and..."

"For Din's sake, enough with all these long lists of things!" Link snarled, "Good Farore…."

Malon only giggled at the outburst, "So! I take it you've decided to take me with you?"

Link turned away from her for a few moments, _Well, it would be nice to have an actual friend there… Well, other than Saria…_ Link nodded, _Plus the fact that she's from the outside world would keep all the trouble makers away from me… or it could bring them right up to my face…_ He turned back to face her, "All right. But keep up, and don't start any trouble, got it?"

"Yay!" Malon glomped the Kokiri boy, "I won't make any trouble at all!" Malon then released him, "Just so I don't mess up and make someone in the forest angry, why don't you tell me about the other Kokiri?"

Link let out a long, annoyed sigh as he began walking. He was sick, sick _sick_ of telling stories about the others and what they had done to him, but… "All right. But you better listen well, understand?"

"Yep!" Malon chirped.

"Let's start with the biggest jerk of all, Mido…"

##########################################################

The duo's footsteps echoed through the wooded valley as they crossed the bridge connecting Hyrule Field to the Kokiri Forest. The moon's light barely descended past the clouds, giving the Lost Woods an eerie glow. It had been a long walk, at least to Malon, as she slowly absorbed the stories, nay, horrors that Link had lived through. _Hard to believe the kid actually acts as nice as he does…_ Malon stifled a weak giggle, _Well, To an extent…_

"What's so funny?" Link asked, looking over to his friend. He found no humor about what he had said the past 6 hours. He almost couldn't believe how long it took them, however, they did walk the entire way, as well as stopping to snack on the bits of food Malon brought with her.

"It's nothing. Just thought of something else for a moment…" Malon sighed. Now she was going to be down in the dumps for the rest of the day.

"Well, We're here." Link didn't even look at Dore, the "gatekeeper," as he walked by him.

Malon took a quick glance at the sleeping boy, then continued to follow Link, though they both stopped when he snorted, waking up.

"Link?" Dore shot to his feet, "Link, is that you!"

Link released a very long sigh, then turned to the only male Kokiri who was the least bit nice to him, "Hello, Dore"

"I thought you were a goner, man!" the Kokiri walked up to Link, took his hand and started shaking it up and down, "Everyone was certain that you had become a stalchild!"

"Heh, I'll be fine, no matter how far away from the forest I go. The Great Deku Tree blessed me before his passing. How else could I be here?" Link chuckled quietly.

"Man, even with the Great Deku Tree's blessings, you'd have to have all of the Deku Gods helping you to live that long outside of the forest!" Dore continued.

"Heh, Well, Dore I'd like to get back to my house and get some rest." Link turned and began walking.

It was odd. Malon expected to be harassed because she was an outsider, yet no one had said a…

"Wait a second! Link, what in Deku's name is that?" Dore pointed at Malon like she was a monster.

"Huh?" Link about faced, "Oh, her? She's a Hylian, and a very close friend of mine. I don't want any trouble about her being here, all right?"

"But… But…" Dore stuttered, obviously scared of the "Hylian."

"Don't worry. She's very kind. I doubt she'll cause any problems." Link looked to his friend, "Right?"

Malon put on a smile and gave a quick thumbs up, "Yep!"

Dore thought about it for a few moments, then finally replied. "All right. Just do. Not. Cause. Trouble"

"All right, all right," Malon groaned, "Man, what's with everyone saying that to me today?"

"Like the long lists of things that you and Navi have been giving _me_ all day?" Link laughed.

"Oh hush…" Malon began walking, "So where shall we go first?"

"Home" Link replied simply.

"What?" Malon stared at him, "I wanted to look around!"

"Ugh…" Link growled, "Fine. Let's start with the rest of the Kokiri… or at least the ones that are still awake."

"Yay!" Malon cheered happily, obviously not tired despite their long trip, though in the depths of her heart she was still sad over the stories Link had revealed to her. _Hopefully meeting these people will calm me down a bit… or it may turn out to make me even more upset. _She looked at Link, who obviously wasn't in the best mood. _Or worse…_

##############################################################

"Who… or what is that?" the blonde Fami asked. It had taken a while to find a single Kokiri who either wasn't asleep or hadn't hidden in their houses to avoid Malon.

"What an odd creature." Mimi pitched in with a nasty grin.

"Creature?" Malon growled.

"She's a friend of mine." Link replied.

"She? I was going to call it an… well, _it_" Mimi laughed.

"It…?" Malon growled again.

"I'm surprised that Dore let you bring that thing in here. Just wait till Mido sees her." Fami giggled.

"In fact, I'm going to go tell him now!" Mimi turned, still laughing.

"And why don't you go sleep with him too?" Malon coughed, looking to her left as innocently as her mood would allow.

"Eh? I've slept with him before. Is something wrong with that?" Mimi asked, staring as Malon barely caught herself from faceplanting.

"Ok, Link told me that you were all a bunch of jerks, but I guess he left out the fact that you're sluts too!" Malons hands then shot to her mouth. _Did I… just say that…!_

"Hah!" Fari laughed once again, "I have no idea what that word means, but it looks like you only made yourself look like an idiot." The two Kokiri girls continued their cackling as they made their way in the direction that Malon believed to be where Mido's house was.

"You certainly weren't kidding about the other Kokiri, were you?" Malon looked at Link, her irritation evident from the dark aura that surrounded her.

Link, however, returned the kind feelings, "What, did you think that I was lying?"

Malon immediately perked up a bit, "No, no! I'm just saying that… I didn't really expect it to be as bad as you said."

"You haven't seen _anything_ yet. Just wait until you meet Mido," Link scoffed, "For now, let's just head to my house and get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big and tiresome day…"

"Mm" Malon nodded, "Shall we then?" She began walking before turning back to Link, "Uh… you lead. I don't know where your house is" she giggled.

"Oh, sure" Link smiled. _Maybe things will work out with Malon here…_ "Oh, by the way, what was that word you used earlier? Slat, or something like that?"

"Na-na-na-nothing! Nothing, it was nothing!" Malon passed it off nervously, "Come on! Let's go!"

#################################################################

"Wow" Malon spun in slow circles, examining every inch of Link's room, "It's hard to believe that a forest kid like you could carve out a tree like this on your own" She turned to Link, who's confused stare prodded her to go on, "I mean, the others didn't help you make house, right?"

"No, but I didn't need help to begin with. I didn't make this place," Link smiled at Malon's confusion, "The Great Deku Tree made it. I wouldn't expect an outsider to understand the powers my "Father" had."

This confused Malon. Something about Link being a Kokiri just didn't make much sense, though she couldn't put her finger on it…

"Well, you take the bed." Link sighed as he sat down and leaned on the edge of the "Door" to his house.

"Huh? But…"

"Take it."

Malon blinked, looked at the bed, back at Link, then blinked again. Manners? Link had already learned the manners of letting a lady have the bed? Must have been Navi's doing… Navi had been oddly quiet, but… Malon shrugged off her thoughts. That long run earlier still plagued both her back and legs, and both urged her to the bed, "All right…" She said tiredly, "I guess I'm going to sleep in my clothes…"

Link's left eye opened and looked at her.

"What? You think I'm going to just undress here? I have standards" Malon growled as she rolled onto Link's bed and pulled the covers over herself.

_Whatever that means…" _Link took a deep breathe, _I pray to the three Goddesses that nothing goes wrong tomorrow…_ then dove into dreamland.

#######################################################

A light mist bathed the quiet forest, the moisture gently covered Malon's nose as she stepped out of Link's house. To her, it seemed like the Kokiri were lazy bums who slept in too late. In reality, she was just accustomed to the work day starting at 4 A.M. compared to the Kokiri 8 A.M.

She wasn't about to let this difference in timing change anything; she stormed back into Link's house and kicked the sleeping fool, "Wake up, Link! Or I swear on my mother's grave I'll beat you until you can't bear to show your bruised face to Saria!"

Link shot to his feet, "You wouldn't dare!" He shouted, though he quickly cowered down as Malon towered over him with a wickedly evil smile.

"Get ready, we're going" she said simply despite her look.

"R-Right!" Link grabbed his bag, slung his shield and sword onto his back, then smiled, "All ready!"

Malon nearly fell over, "That's it! No food, no maps, nothing!"

Link blinked confused, "Um… no?" he tilted his head and smirked, though he was still confused, "I know some places in the woods where we can get some food, and I also know the way the meadow, so there's no need for maps."

Malon grabbed Link's collar and glared into his eyes, "You'd better be sure about that… especially the food part." She turned and walked out the door onto the front balcony.

Link followed behind her, the current time just then dawning on him, "What time is it!"

"About four-ten" Malon sighed, turning to begin descending the ladder that connected Link's house and the ground.

"Are you kidding! Saria wouldn't be up this early!" Link turned and stormed back into his hut.

"Actually she was up before I was" Link shot to the door as Malon giggled and continued, "She headed up that hill over there" She pointed towards the Lost Woods, "Around Three-forty five."

Link nearly knocked her off the ladder, "Then let's get going!"

"Gah! All right, all right!" Malon slid down the ladder and leapt off, stopping inches from a scowling blonde's face, "Are?"

"So this is the beast the girls warned me about…" Mido growled, staring into Malon's curious eyes, "It's so… ugly…"

A bell dinged in Malon's head as she readied a fist, "That was the magic word, bucko…!"

Link grabbed her arm, "Don't bother." He shot a glare at his mortal enemy, "Mido…"

"Link, as the leader of-"

"Self appointed leader" Link coughed.

"As the leader of the Kokiri, I _must_ command you to leave the forest with that beast of yours." Link lowered his head, causing Mido to continue, "Did you hear me? I want-"

Mido was silenced as the tip of Link's sword stopped not even millimeters from Mido's adam's apple, "_I_ want you to shut up… and get _lost_"

"You don't- kah!" As Mido spoke, his neck shifted just enough for the sword to poke it, causing Mido to leap back.

"I don't what…?" Link growled with a sinister smirk, "I don't scare you?" He took a step forward, causing Mido to retreat further, "What happened to you being so strong and fearsome? You used to be able to drop me to the ground in one hit…" Link brought his sword back, ready for a swipe, but was stopped.

"Link… I think you've done enough to him…"

"But he-"

"Despite what he called me, I think you've done enough. The worst thing you could do to him now is to let him live with being shown up in front of everyone…" Malon grinned as she pulled Link behind her, the entire forest watching as Mido stood in shock at what had happened.

"Link…" Mido groaned through his clenching teeth, "You're going to pay for this…"

#####################################################################

Malon was steamed, no, enraged by current events, "Ugh!" She groaned, "I thought you said you knew where you were going! We've been wandering for hours!" she shouted at her companion, who was happily picking fruit off of a tree.

"Relax, at least we have food, right?" Link sighed calmly. He was determined to remain docile, even if Malon refused to do the same, "And besides, we're almost there."

"That's what you said _two _hours ago!" Malon screeched, "And to add to the pain that song has been playing since we first entered this forest! I mean, it was cute at first, but now it keeps going on and off and on and off and on…"

"On and off…." Link turned toward one of the four hollow logs that stood as doorways noting as the song changed, "Off…" He walked toward another "On…." And another, "Off…" then back, "On…" he grinned, "Malon, you're a genius!"

"And then there's- wait, what? I am?" Malon looked at Link in shock, having not noticed Link's hypothesis.

"It's the music! We need to follow the music!" Link pointed toward the music lit "door".

"Link, as much as I appreciate that compliment…" Malon growled, "I'd rather die than listen to that music anymore, let alone _follow_ it!" she stormed toward one of the silent logs.

Link released a _loud_ sigh, "All right… but just remember that stalchildren are known to attack loners in these woods…" He grinned as he heard Malon's feet stop, "And without me to protect you… well, let's just say it won't be pret-"

The bait was taken as the berate girl grabbed the Kokiri's arm and began dragging him behind her, "Let's go! To the Sacred woods meadow thing!"

"It's called the Sacred Forest Meadow, and slow down!" Link shouted, his eyes catching something somewhat interesting… well, interesting enough for him to stop his friend, "Hang on, Malon!"

Malon's arm snapped as Link stopped, "Gah! What Link?" It was then she noticed the giant stone archway, "Whoa…"

"Malon… Any idea what this is?" Link's head bobbed up and down as he examined the boulder blocked archway.

"I'm… not sure…" Malon stepped closer, staring at a particular emblem on the gateway, "That engraving. It's the Goron Ruby, symbol of the Gorons"

"So that's what the Spiritual stone looks like…" Link pondered what could be behind the numerous boulders that seemed to guard the path behind, "There's an opening at the top of the gateway. Maybe one of us can crawl through it?" Link looked to his friend.

"I thought meeting Saria was really important? Are you just going to ditch that?" Malon asked, getting annoyed with Link's carefree attitude… though it was nice over him being completely agro.

"Good point" Link nodded, "How about we check it out on the way back?"

"Sounds good" Malon smiled, continuing after the song, though she quickly came to a halt once again as the noticed another archway, though underwater, "What the?"

Link grinned, noticing the emblem atop this gate, "And I take it that's the Zora Sapphire?"

"Yeah" Malon stared at the engraving, "It's the prettiest of the stones, just like the Zoras are the prettiest race"

"Well…" Link crossed his arms over his chest, "I've never seen a Zora before, so I wouldn't be able to compare… though I think you're the prettiest person I know."

"L-Link…!" Malon was certain that Link didn't understand what that meant to her, simply saying it due to his innocence, "We… We should get going"

"Ah, right" Link replied, the two beginning to walk again, "I can't believe I never noticed those arches before…"

"Well, considering we got lost despite you knowing the route like the back of your hand, I'm not surprised that you never ended up passing those before."

"I guess that makes… Whoa." Link was interrupted by the scene before him.

"Wow… it's so pretty" Malon smiled, "And the smells of the flowers…."

"No… this isn't pretty. This is… Ugh I can't think of the right word for it…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can feel it… a sense of… ugh, I just…"

"Tainted, disturbed… Evil?" Navi pitched in.

"Exactly. The flowers are dying, the flowers smells are mixed, not unique… and that wind" He assessed as a gentle gust blew between the two, "It just isn't right…"

"I… didn't realize. I thought it looked fine…" Malon looked at her friend in awe, "I never realized how sensitive you were toward the forest."

Link looked to his left, hearing an odd pattering sound, "It's because I've been here all my life…" Once more the sound came, _What in the world?_

"Awooo!" a giant wolf roared as it dove for Malon.

"Malon, look out!" Link shoved the girl out of the way, the wolf ramming him to the ground, "Gah!"

The beast clung to Link, the two rolling several times before coming to a halt. The wolf began slashing at Link's face, "Haoo Haoo!"

Link forced his arm out from under the monster and grabbed his sword, thrusting it into the creature's chest, causing it to leap off of him, "Awooo!"

"Kh… Navi, what the heck is that thing?" Link asked as he stood, "And why didn't that stab hurt it?"

Despite the attack, there wolf didn't even have a scratch… it was like, "That's a Wolfos, Link. Their fur is like armor, all except for their tails. They're not as dumb as most monsters, but they still have a habit of leaving themselves open after attacks. Strike then!"

"All right, sounds easy enough-" Link grunted as he was assaulted by the Wolfos' claws, parrying blow after blow, "But I'm not seeing this supposed- ugh- opening!" Link shouted, leaping into a backflip to avoid a slash.

Link couldn't help but grin as the Wolfos' speed caused it to spin around, it's tail facing him, "Haaah!" Link jumped into the air and brought his sword down as hard as he could, slicing the tail clean off of the monster.

"Hawoooo!" The creature's roar was much higher pitched now, showing the sheer pain it was bearing as it sunk into the ground, leaving blue flames behind.

"Why…" Link took a long breath, "Why was that… _thing_… here in the meadow?"

Navi couldn't sustain a loud sigh, "It's because the Great Deku Tree is dead, Link…" Navi knew that hurt Link's heart in the worst way, "His protection no longer graces this place…"

"Kuh…" Link grinded his teeth angrily, "Let's go" He stormed forth, past the iron gates that marked the entrance to the grass labyrinth.

Malon followed, quickly commenting on what the "door" turned out into; two separate paths, one through a small creek, another through what looked to be a maze, "What is this?"

"The Forest Labyrinth" Link replied quickly. Neither of them took note of the yellow brown mandragora at the first corner.

"So which path do we take?" Malon looked at Link, who was trying his best not to show his pain.

Link looked first at the grass pathway, then to the water, Malon's eyes following his, "Personally, I don't want to get wet…" Link said, not hearing the peculiar 'Pbht!' noise, "So let's go- Gah!" He cried in pain as a deku nut slammed into his forehead, knocking him over.

"L-Link?" Malon spun to face the attacker but was hit in the face as well, falling right next to Link, "Ooow…."

"Malon, you any good with a slingshot?" Link asked, not wasting any time devising a plan as the little monster laughed it's wooden brains out.

"I used one when I was younger just to mess around, but yeah. Why?" Malon asked, surprised to have Link's Fairy Slingshot shoved into her hand, "W-Wha?"

"I'll distract it and you kill it. Got it?" Link smiled as Malon nodded, "Three… Two… One… GO!" Link shot to his feet and ran towards the shrub, sword drawn- though it wasn't needed for anything more than the act.

Malon brought the slingshot up, glaring down the center towards the Deku Shrub, "Come on, hit!" She prayed as she released the band, the seed flying just past the shrub, "Darn!"

"Do it again, Malon!" Link shouted, happy to see that the wooden vermin hadn't noticed the shot.

Malon drew another deku seed, "This time… Hit!" she let fly, cheering just as the seed nailed the Deku Shrub in the back of the head, instantly killing it.

Link skidded to a halt at the end of the hallway and sheathed his blade, "Way to go Malon!" He laughed as the girl ran to his side.

"Thanks… just took a minute to get used to firing one of those again."

"Well, that first shot was pretty close… that last one though, that was great" Link praised his friend, not noticing another peculiar 'pbht!' noise.

"Heh! I told you I had used one when- L-Link!" Malon cried in surprise as Link was knocked over by another seed. Not realizing she was just repeating the incident that had occurred moments before, she looked towards the attacker, immediately taking a nut to the forehead.

"I can't believe this…" Link groaned angrily.

"Let's not have this happen again" Malon sighed as she prepped a deku nut, smiling as Link rose to his feet and shot toward the laughing Deku Shrub.

"Hey, Deku nut!" Link shouted, rather surprised to see the shrub suddenly start unloading on him, "Yeah, over here!" He ran past it, leaving it open for Malon.

Malon didn't miss this time, finally taking complete command of the slingshot as the seed slammed into the Deku Shrub so hard that it actually came out of it's flower and faceplanted.

"Wow!" Link cheered, "Nice shot! Don't know how you fired it that hard, though…"

"What can I say?" Malon shrugged proudly, "I'm just that good"

Link sighed as he turned and began watching, "Let's keep an eye and an ear out while we go through this maze. I have a bad enough headache now, I don't need another deku nut making it worse…"

"Sounds good to me" Malon followed, keeping a deku seed slung, ready to nail any unsuspecting Deku Scrub that may be in their path.

One after another, after each turn, another Deku Scrub fell, "How long is this maze anyways? I'm running out of deku seeds, Link" Malon sighed tiredly.

"I think that this is…" Links eyes shot open as his jaw dropped. About twenty red eyes turned and locked on the duo, "Oh crap…."

Malon stared down the long passageway; there were Deku Scrubs everywhere, even some on the long staircase at the end. "Link… I don't think I have enough Deku Seeds to take all of these shrubs out…"

"We might be in for a lot more headaches if-" Link was interrupted by a somber note on, "Is that…?"

"An ocarina?" Malon looked at Link, then towards the sound. A green haired girl stood at the top of the stairs, playing on a peach pink ocarina, "Link, is that…?"

"Saria… I've never heard her play this song before… it's…" Link couldn't think of the right word, and quickly lost the thought as all of the Deku Scrubs began dancing to the tune before falling back into their flowers, unmoving from then on.

"What the heck?" Malon asked in shock; she was beautiful, as was her playing. It was just plain incredible. No wonder Link thought so highly of her….

Link was stunned, yet he slowly began walking towards the staircase, his pace growing step after step until he burst into a run, "Saria!" he shouted happily, flying up the stairs and leaping into his best friend, who accepted him with a warm hug.

Saria's hug loosened, though, as she stepped away from the boy, "Link... why have you come back?"

The little Kokiri was shocked at the question, "Well... to come and visit you, of course! And to show you..." He reached into his pocket to grab his letter, but Saria's suddenly cold voice halted his attempt.

"Now's not the time" Saria sighed as she waved for the two to follow her to three tree stumps. As the trio sat, Saria looked to Malon, "I'm sorry to have you dragged into this..."

"Sorry? For what? You should be apologizing for not introducing yourself!" Malon growled, though the pained look she received from Link slowed her to a simple irritated grind.

Saria couldn't help but giggle at Link's friend, "I suppose you're right. My name is Saria"

"Pleasure to meet you!" Malon smiled, holding her hand up which, to Link's surprise, Saria high fived. The slack jawed stare that corrupted Link's face made it all but obvious as to his thoughts: _How did Saria know what a high five was?_

The greenette decided there had been enough formalities, though Malon persisted to speak to her, "I've heard so much from Link about you, and let me tell you, the stories about how you look were true" She winked.

"Thank you, but-"

"And your skills with an ocarina are incredible! I wish I could hear more-"

"Enough!" Saria screamed, immediately silencing Malon and effectively changing Link's stare of confusion to one of shock. She proceeded to address Link, "I'm sure you have questions Link... and I believe I can answer nearly all of them."

Before he could even begin his list of questions, which in just five minutes had quintupled, Saria began explaining her real reason for allowing them into the meadow, "Link, you have been given a very important task. The Great Deku Tree saw great promise in you, so much so that he cast you into the world with only a story to keep you going." Saria examined her friend for a moment and smiled, "But judging from the fact you've grown slimmer and your arms are more muscular, I'd say you're living up to his expectations..."

"But Saria, Why-"

"Link... There is something I must confide with you..." She glanced at Malon, "I didn't expect a hyrulean to be here, but you obviously trust her, so there shouldn't be a problem..." She ignored the questioning glare that Malon shot her as the Kokiri continued, "Have you ever wondered why I'm so knowledgeable of the forest, Link?" The boy's look contorted again as she asked, "Have you ever questioned why the Great Deku Tree always relayed his messages to me?"

It had never crossed Link's mind until now; _Saria has always been so smart, so caring for the other Kokiri... And she always spoke to the Deku Tree before everyone else..._ "I... I never thought about it before... but... why are you asking this Saria?"

Saria couldn't help but giggle as she answered the all-important question, "The reason why, Link, is because I was the first Kokiri ever born. I was the base for all other children of the forest, short of my green hair... That was my personal mark as the Deku Tree's servant." She brushed her hair out of her eyes, "I've also acted as his eyes for the outside world. I've visited many places; the castle, Death Mountain, Lake Hylia, and many others. I've done more and lived longer than all of the other Kokiri combined."

Link stared in absolute shock at his friend. He had no idea she was so important, "S... Sa... Is that... Really true?" He could barely speak; he was frozen to the stump he sat on.

"It is Link. That's why I met you at the bridge as you left; because as he died, The Great Deku Tree sent a message to me to give you the ocarina, because he blessed you with the power to utilize the magics that the ocarina governs." Saria could tell that Link's mind was blown, and she hoped that he was taking it all in accurately as she resumed.

"Link, you must follow the instructions the Princess of Hyrule gives you. She will lead you as you proceed on your quest, and you will fulfill what the Deku Tree planned for you."

"What exactly did this Great Deku Tree have planned for Link?" Malon finally broke into the conversation, "And why Link?"

Saria shook her head, "I cannot tell you any more than that, lest your journey be compromised. Just understand that everything will fall into place as you continue on your quest." As the conversation began to end, the greenette stood, "You have a grand adventure ahead of you Link, but your very life will be threatened at every turn. Before you leave, I'd like to pass my own aid to you..."

Link snapped out of his listening trance when Saria brought her own ocarina to her lips, automatically pulling his out. "This song will allow you to contact me with the magic of the ocarina anytime you like..." She began playing a quick, spritely theme... one that Malon knew all too well.

"Oh please tell me he won't be contacting you that often..." Malon growled as the boy finished mimicking his friend.

"Oh hush Malon" Link growled right back, "I can contact her if I want!"

"Actually Link, I'd prefer it if you only contacted me when necessary" Saria walked past the two before finishing, "I do have responsibilities here in the forest... " She sighed once more, "This conversation must end, sadly... You two should rest tonight, then resume your journey in the morning."

"But Saria!" Link stood and ran to his friend's side, but as he looked into her eyes he saw the shading had changed from her usual shining bright blue eyes were now a dark navy blue, cold and hard. He couldn't help but cringe away from her.

"I'll be waiting for news of your journey, Link..." She turned to Malon, "Please keep an eye on Link. As you've probably seen, he's quite the trouble maker. I hope he doesn't cause you too much strife" She wandered back to the stumps as Malon stood and took her place next to Link. "Be careful on your way out by the way. The minuet I played earlier has a tendency to alter the growth of the meadow, so you may have to take another path home."

Link looked back at his friend, then, just like on the bridge, took off running full speed down the stairs, leaving Malon in his dust. The fiery red head looked back at Saria, her eyes burning as bright as her hair, before following her friend.

"Link!" Malon cried out as Link slowed to a halt in front of her, "Are you alright?" she placed her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I'm fine" Link replied, though his lie didn't stick.

"You and I both know that's not true. What happened back there? She was just like you explained in the beginning, and then all of a sudden she acted like a witch!"

"Don't call her that!" Link snapped, though he changed his tone at the sight of Malon flinching at his shout, "She's just... Because the Deku Tree died, she's busy... that's why she acted like that..."

"And perhaps to invoke more spirit towards your quest...?" Malon suggested. Her attempt to give a more positive outlook on the situation came out roses.

"That could be it..." Link straightened up, "We should probably get going, Malon. The sun is already going down."

Malon looked up at the clouded sky, "How can you tell when we're this deep in the woods?"

"Instinct I guess. I can always tell what time it is in the forest. Maybe it's an ability the Kokiri have" he shrugged as he turned to stare at a tall hedge, waiting for Malon to take notice of where they were.

"Wait, wasn't this...?"

"Yeah. Looks like Saria's warning was true; the path has changed." He then looked behind him towards a moat, "Looks like we have to go that way now" He spun and ran to it, diving in without a thought.

"Hey!" Malon shouted as she ran after him, "Wait for me!" she dove in and swam behind him until they reached the grassy edge that led back into the maze. As they stood, an unsettling rustling sound caused both of them to simply say, "Crap!" Link was nailed in the head by a deku nut and Malon was struck in the stomach, both of them falling back into the water.

As the two floated back up to the surface, Malon asked, without moving her head, "Did we seriously just get blasted again?"

Link remained quiet for a moment, then replied, "Yeah, I think we did..."

"Let's kill him..."

"Oh, I couldn't agree more!" The duo shot out of the water and didn't even give the poor scrub enough time to dive into his leaf pile as they grabbed him and utterly destroyed him. It was becoming quite obvious the two were a good team, especially to Saria as she peaked around the corner to observe them.

"Take care Link..."

#######################################################################

Tsukasa: Honestly, I wanted to add another part to this chapter, but it would come out better as the start to the next.

Karen: We hope you enjoyed this chapter, as it was long overdue.

Tsukasa: I should have the next one up... sometime. I don't really know just yet. Just be patient once again, and I'll get to it when I get time...

Karen: Sorry to make you wait again guys, but nonetheless thanks for your patience!


	6. Secrets of Kakariko

Goddess Send

Act 5

Secrets of Kakariko Village

A/N: To partially quote Escape the Fate lead singer Craig Mabbit: Holy sweet mother of eight titted mary what is UP Fanfiction dot net!? You've been waiting how many years for a new chapter, you've all thought this will never continue, you lost all hope that this story could ever be salvaged, well guess what babies it's BACK! Goddess Send is BACK, and it's all thanks to the wonderful band Escape the Fate! Now let's get started!

###############

It wasn't exactly easy to sleep with a lot of noise. Sure, she had slept with the sound of cow's, chickens and horses making plenty of noise, but Malon wasn't particularly savvy to sleeping to the sound of what could be called nothing other than construction work.

The redhead popped her head out of the front of Link's house, took a breath, then barked out "Link! Will you turn the sound down just a little on what you're doing!?"

A little green capped head poked up from the edge of the deck, a strict poker face holding strong as he replied, "It'll only take a little longer. Just relax."

Malon huffed angrily, then wandered back into the hut, laying down on his bed which he had so kindly let her use. He certainly was a gentleman despite growing up in a forest, but he still was stubborn and ignorant to many common aspects of outside life.

What was really bugging her was that she had no idea what he was doing. He just kept saying it was a precaution for something… But what kind of precaution?

Outside, hanging upside down on the ladder leading to his house, Link adjusted that last few parts of his trap. He had begun working on this ages ago but he didn't have the materials nor time to finish. With the extra tools Talon had let him keep from his work on the ranch, he was more than capable, and now... "Just a little tweak, and…" The rope he had wrapped stretched tight then hummed as it finally locked in place. With a gleeful chuckle Link crawled up to the deck of his home then looked out into the forest. Mido's hut was lit, but no one was outside; he looked to the ground and smiled, "It's ready. You can go."

Dore looked up and grinned, "Good. I can't wait to see the look on his face. It's about time someone did this." The Kokiri turned and walked off to his own home, which ironically had a front row seat to this show.

Link looked in to see Malon finally settling down. "Hey." She looked at him and waited for him to continue, "No matter what happens… No matter what you hear… Don't look, alright?"

She wasn't sure what he meant, but she shrugged off the curiosity and finally found peace in sleep…. Until she was awoken by shouts and screams.

Link was comfortably sitting on his deck, his back against the guard rail with an oddly smug grin. Below him a horde of Kokiri had gathered, chanting loudly that the Hylian girl inside his house be ousted or destroyed. It seemed that without the Great Deku Tree, the Kokiri's morals had fallen apart. It sickened him, yet he kept his grin.

"I demand that you leave Link! Now!" Mido called up angrily, only to get a simple retort by Link flipping him off. Mido of course had no idea as to what it meant, and Malon was irritated to see that Link had adopted the gesture; Mr. Ingo was rather diligent in shooting that bird behind Talon's back when the lazy rancher had upset him, and she was guessing Mr. Ingo had explained the meaning to Link.

Despite his ignorance, Mido appropriately took it as an insult, and took it upon himself to charge up the ladder leading up to the hut. Just as Link hoped. With a simple flick of his foot, Link kicked over a block with several layers of rope tied to it; within moments hell broke loose.

Loud snaps erupted as rope and lumber intertwined, small nooses wrapping around Mido's feet and arms, while carefully set pieces of mill slashed his clothes to shreds, finally culminating in him hanging upside down stark bare, a mockery to himself in front of the whole of the Kokiri.

Despite Link's previous warnings Malon shot outside to see what all the noise was only to stare in shock… and in humor. "Hey, you weren't kidding. He really is a prick."

With a shake of his head Link stood. He didn't know that word yet, though he had a striking suspicion as to what it meant. Next to him his fairy companion was looking somberly toward the entrance to the Lost Woods; a green haired Kokiri with a pink fairy stood against the guard rails of the trail leading to it. She had a similar look as Navi… And then finally smiled.

With a gleeful grin, Link gave a thumbs up- another gesture he had learned on the ranch- and, when he received one in return from Saria, he gripped Malon's hand and led her to the edge of his deck, "Hope you're ready for a nice morning run!"

"Wait, wha-" Malon shrieked as Link led their jump down to the ground, but didn't hesitate to take off running alongside him. She was still craving sleep, but who would miss this kind of an adrenaline rush? She looked back and shouted out, "Hey, go ahead and have your fun with that prick! Any real girl could have far better!" She laughed evilly before continuing, "And hey, you're all family right? Keep it up! The offspring you sluts have shouldn't be _too_ mutated!"

Link stared at her curiously, "You are seriously going to have to explain some of those words, because I can tell they were insults but I sure as hell don't know what they meant!"

The two laughed as they shot across the Lost Woods bridge before tearing into the field, all but running over a pair of stalchildren in their mad dash for the main path of the field. As their boots hit the dirt of the path, they skidded to a halt, gasping for air in between laughs and giggles.

"Aw, damn… the look on his face!" Malon coughed, a snarky grin barely holding between gasps.

"I thought I told you not to look?" Link chuckled as he fell onto his rear, taking in the cool morning air in stride.

"Hey, the way we leapt off your house, I didn't have a choice in the matter." Malon followed his motion, landing right next to him, her hand landing on his, though neither cared. They had adopted a close relationship in the span of this week. Far more than Link could compare…. Even to Saria, Malon was just… special.

"So do you want to try to catch a bit of sleep before we continue on? I don't mind keeping watch until you wake up."

Malon giggled before standing up again, "Nah, I'm fine." She took his hand and helped him up then started walking down the path, still lightly panting from their mad sprint, "So where shall we go? I'm not exactly in the mood for the ranch, and Mr. Ingo should be delivering milk to Kakariko tomorrow and won't be heading back for another few days, so it couldn't hurt to meet up with him there."

Link walked close beside her, thinking about the length of the trip, "It will take about two days if we sprint every once in a while, right?"

Malon giggled cutely. He was starting to learn the field a little more, "About that. You've never been to Kakariko, so I definitely suggest we hurry. If I didn't live on the ranch, I'd live there for sure. Plus they cook Cucco better than even I do."

Malon was shocked as suddenly Link took off full speed, leaving Navi spinning in the air as the sheer speed at which he took off. Malon stared at the stunned fairy, begging for an answer as to why Link had just disappeared into the distance. With a shake of her head, Navi explained. "Link had a bad experience with a cucco out here on the field. He hates them with a burning passion, and…" She sighed, "If I had to guess, he's excited at the chance to eat a fallen one of his enemies."

"That's… disturbing…"

"Indeed."

The two sighed together then pursued their crazed companion.

##########

Link merrily skipped through the gate of Kakariko village. The sun was slowly setting behind the giant windmill that towered over the town, yet still life seemed to persist. Link looked back with a smile then immediately lost it when he saw Malon; she was a heaving, sweaty wreck. "Um… Malon?"

"I… I didn't even know it was… possible to cross the field in under a day…" she gasped. A light glow was emanating from her head; Navi was barely clinging to the farm girl's hair, just as tired as she was.

"Well… I… Uh…" Link turned and looked around frantically, trying to find something to change the topic, "H-Hey, let's take a look around! I've never been here, so…"

With a weary sigh, Malon trotted up to the young Kokiri and slugged him on the shoulder before continuing on, smirking evilly as he yelped, though more in shock than pain; the kid was definitely tough, she'll give him that.

Link didn't bother asking why she gave him that well deserved punch, instead opting for looking diligently for the- "Fried cucco! Kakariko Fried Cucco here! Closing for the night soon, come get some while you have this last chance!"

Malon literally spun for a moment as Link shot past her in yet another mad dash for vengeance. Mid spin she held her hand up high and caught the drained fairy who was flung out of her hair, giggling as Navi moaned tiredly before letting her rest on her head again. It was indeed annoying, but at the same time entertaining to see Link so fanatical about something as small as fried cucco. "You're going to have to tell me what happened to Link."

"Ooooh trust me… when I… can at least lift my head enough… to look you in the eyes…." Navi heaved, "I will."

The two shivered as they heard a rather fierce battle cry; it seemed Link had found his prey. Malon took off into a pained sprint, sliding around a corner to find Link sitting happily beside the now sold out fried cucco stand, already sporting two piles of bones beside him while engorging on his third bin of KFC. The owner of the stand was rightfully stunned at the sight of someone so small eating so much so quickly, and with a sigh Malon strolled up to her friend, "You going to share or-" She was cut off.

Link's eyes glowed pitifully, as though he was begging her not to interrupt his due revenge. Apparently he was intent on eating all of it himself… wait…

"Link, where's the rest?"

Link swallowed one last mouthful of meat before tossing the perfectly cleaned bone into the third pile he was accumulating, already attracting several local dogs who happily were claiming Link's spoils of war. The lad motioned toward a small brown bag to his right, leading Malon to raise her eyebrows in disbelief. With a chuckle, Link opened the bag and pulled out another steaming hot bin of KFC, handing it to Malon.

She stared at the bin in shock, "How did…?"

"You didn't think I carried all of my equipment just on my back or in pockets, did you?" Link laughed as he stood up and dusted the crumbs off of himself, then snatched up his magic pouch to explain further, "Despite being such a jerk, Mido did do one good thing for me before I left the forest for the first time. He gave me this bag; it was apparently a gift from the Great Deku Tree… It can hold an enormous amount of different items, though only a certain number of some items over others. It's hard to explain but… It keeps all food fresh as well as hot or cold if I keep it in here."

"And here I thought you were drinking spoiled milk for a little bit." Malon giggled halfheartedly; who knew Link was so prepared. She honestly believed he was just eating scraps and bits of rotten food all this time. Definitely makes it easy to travel not having to worry about perishable food though.

As Malon finally dug into her own bin of fried cucco, Link glanced around, for the first time truly taking in his surroundings. They were pretty close to the path leading up to Death Mountain, but the path was blocked by a large metal gate, a pair of adults discussing something with… "Hey Malon…?"

The girl looked up with a string of meat hanging from her mouth, "Hmm?"

"What's that thing up there?"

Malon looked towards where he was pointing, then laughed, "It sure is a good thing I'm here, because otherwise you would never make it anywhere."

Link huffed, "Just tell me, please."

Malon finished off her meal then tossed the bones to the large mass of dogs indulging on piles of cucco remains. She took Link's hand then led him up the stairs to the gate, smiling as one of the guards turned to shoo the children away only to return the smile, "Well if it isn't little Malon!"

"Hey there, Uncle Seth!"

Link wanted to question her choice of addressing the man, but kept quiet as they continued their conversation. "What's going on with Mr. Goron here?"

Link's jaw dropped. _That_ was a Goron!? And Darunia is supposed to be the biggest of the bunch… This guy was already huge!

"Seems there's been a massive increase in Dodongo Dragons in Dodongo's cavern. The Goron's can't get to the rocks they usually eat and are all but starving…"

The Goron's voice definitely eased Link's nervousness when the giant spoke, "I was trying to ask if the guards could help, but…" It was almost cute the way he sounded to Link.

"We don't have the man power to help at the moment. We really would like to help; The Gorons have always been close allies of the Royal Family, but…"

Malon suddenly got that scheming gleam in her eyes that Link was beginning to both recognize and fear; in an instant, Malon snatched Link's bag and dug into it, pulling out the letter that Princess Zelda had given him. Before he could even try to protest, she handed the letter to the Goron, leading to the giant and the two guards to lean in and study it. Within moments, the guards were practically on their knees laughing at what they considered to be a joke, though the Goron kept a rather serious look.

Link's blush was full bloom; Malon had just made him look like an absolute fool… "Is this true?" He looked up into the giant's eyes.

Link took a breath, then nodded, "Yes sir. I've already fought my way through a whole horde of stalchildren, destroyed a giant spider named Gohma-"

Both guards stopped laughing at that name, standing fully, "You slayed a Gohma…?"

"About killed me too. Knocked my shoulder out of position until I pushed it back, and nearly broke both my back and legs."

The two looked at each other, then at the Goron, then back at Link, "Alright. As much as I really don't believe this…" he looked Link up and down, "You certainly don't look like just any kid, and this is definitely the Princess' handwriting." He nodded to Seth, who walked over to the gate controls, opening it for Link's passage.

The Goron smiled and took Link's hand, shaking it firmly, "I will make preparations for your arrival. But…" Link tilted his head curiously at the Goron's sudden hesitation, "You must not use a wooden shield such as that. It won't stand up to the fires of the cavern." He kneeled in close, whispering in the young man's ears, "The Kakariko Graveyard holds secrets even the Royal Guard knows not about. Look for the Royal Symbol, and you shall find what you need to enter the Cavern…" He stood, bowed respectfully, then, to Link's shock, curled into a ball and rolled up the mountain path.

Link stood in awe for a moment, then turned to Malon with a smile, "I think we need to take a little side trip before we start." He took her hand, nodded to the two guards, and then led her back down the stairs where they could talk privately.

"Link, do you want to fill us in on what's going on, or…?"

"Where's the Graveyard?"

Malon's jaw dropped. Not the question she was expecting him to suddenly drop. She pointed towards the windmill, immediately getting dragged behind Link as he bolted; he was surprisingly determined to go to a place most people tend to avoid, and she wasn't savvy to the fact she was being _dragged_ to the place where most people are _dragged_ to in order to be buried.

When Link finally stopped dragging the stunned girl, she regained her composure and looked around; the graveyard had definitely become drearier than the last time she visited… She stepped ahead of Link then turned to look at him, arms outstretched, "Alright, we're at the graveyard. Now what's so important?"

Link walked up the path, ignoring her question as he looked for the symbol; He examined each grave, leading Malon to believe he was thinking of grave robbing, though as he continued, she began to hear him mumbling, "Royal Symbol… Royal Symbol…"

Now she knew what he was looking for, though she still hadn't the foggiest as to why. She took his hand and led him up to the top of the grim cemetery. As they reached the peak, she was shocked to feel rain strike her face, and lightning crackle above her; this one part of the graveyard had a storm, yet the rest was dry, and couldn't even hear the thunder…

Link's eyes widened as the Royal Symbol, the Triforce, lit up on the ground with a flash of lightning. To his left and right were each a single tombstone, and in front of him was a giant plaque, listing the names of deceased Royal Family members. As he placed a hand on the memorial, Malon's screech of terror snapped him out of his near trance like curiosity. In an instant he drew his sword and shield and spun on his heel, bringing up his shield just in time to block… "A lamp…?"

"It's a Poe! A ghost!" Malon cried out before barely dodging a second ghost's attack. Link charged forward, ignoring the Poe attacking him to instead leap and stab the one harassing Malon, then upon landing spun to lash at his assailant; both ghosts reeled back then charged him. He lifted his shield to defend only to get pushed back, dropping his sword in the process.

He rolled out of the attack, immediately whipping out his slingshot and firing a shot at the closest ghost, nailing it dead on; the Poe shrieked in pain, then dropped it's lamp, disappearing into green flames that culminated in a single floating blaze shaped like a face. Link's eyes darted around wildly; where was the second Poe?

He heard it's cry as it attacked him from behind. He spun in an attempt to try to cut it off, but instead… He saw is sword cleave the ghost in two. Malon brought the sword to her side with pride as she sliced through the ghost, leaving it in the same slayed state as it's brother. "Whoa…"

Malon turned and smiled at Link, teasingly winking at him, "What, surprised?"

Link rolled his shoulders then grinned, "Yeah, kind of."

"Not much different from chopping wood with an axe." She giggled, then jumped with Link when both ghost flames shrieked.

"You kiiiiiiiiiiilled us!"

The two children looked at each other, then back to the ghosts, "Um… weren't you already dead?" Link asked, completely confused out of his mind.

"Dead because of people like you!"

Malon now chose to spoke, "We're children… We don't naturally kill people, and you attacked us so we had no choice but to defend ourselves."

Both flames looked to each other, then back, "Wait… so you're not with that Gannondorf jerk who killed us trying to get our research?"

Link's eyes widened, "Gannondorf…" He stepped closer, "Tell me what happened. Everything. Why did that father killing ass kill you too?"

Both flames gained a somber look, "He killed your father? Such a cruel man he is…"

"We are the composer brothers, Sharp and Flat. We were assigned by the Royal Family to research the inherent abilities the family has to control both time and space with ocarinas." Flat explained.

"We discovered a musical tone that could bring forth both the sun and moon at a person's command, however just as we were finishing…" Sharp sighed.

"Gannondorf demanded our notes, then killed us when we refused."

Malon looked to Link; he was shaking, both in fury and sadness. He had explained that Gannondorf was the one who had killed the Great Deku Tree, and now… This man was just too cruel.

"Please…" Link pulled out his letter from Zelda, leading to both ghosts to gasp in shock, "My name is Link. I'm working with the princess to stop that man… If your song can help me…."

Both flames nodded, smiling with new hope, "Yes, please! If you truly do work for the princess, you will know the song of the royal family! Play it before the family tomb, and you shall find your way to both sun and moon!"

"Am I the only one getting sick of these word games?" Malon groaned as Link nodded and stepped onto the Triforce symbol. He lifted his ocarina to his lips, then gently played a lulling song, "That's… her lullaby." Malon was shocked; did Zelda teach Link that, or….?

The lightning began to roar louder and more frequently. The hair on Link's neck stood on end in a last second warning just before a bolt struck the Royal Family's tombstone, destroying the plaque and revealing a large entrance beneath it.

"Now go, envoy of Zelda. Claim the power of our research, and end Gannondorf's schemes."

With a nod, Link took Malon's hand, clenched it tightly, and then leapt into the hole with her. As they landed, Link couldn't help putting his free hand to his nose; something absolutely reeked, and it wasn't corpses. He knew what skeletons smelled like, he had a front row seat to that smell his first night in the field.

"That's… not a comforting smell…" Malon said grimly as she moved ahead, still holding tightly to the Kokiri Sword much to Link's chagrin. He didn't like being unarmed.

Insects and mice scrambled away as they made their way through the tomb, the two making sure not to disturb the remains that were strewn about the floor.

"If this grave is for royalty, then… why is-"

"Why is it so disgracefully made? I don't know, and I don't think we want to know…" Malon grunted; Link could tell something was bugging her, but he hadn't the foggiest as to what.

"Malon, is something-"

"Oh… hell…." Malon whispered before leaping back away from the door she had just entered, leading Link to peer through only to cover his nose once again; Acid. That was the smell he had never encountered before. Bubbling, boiling acid. But something else also pervaded the room, a much stronger form of rotting flesh… Link was truly horrified at the thought that Royalty was buried in such a harsh and disgusting place for their final rest.

The shadows were barely lit by the glowing mass of chemicals, each a small channel with a stone platform in between; Link could only guess that it was a preventative measure against grave robbers… yet still…

He didn't see any option. He pulled out a mass of Deku sticks from his pouch, then stepped toward the first pool. He took a deep breath, then leapt forward, slamming the Deku stick into the acid to vault across; the stick melted into the pool, but was strong enough to hold until Link had crossed completely.

He glanced back, locking eyes with Malon; she wasn't downright terrified, but she was scared. Something in this room smelled even worse than the acid, but they couldn't see it. She had his sword, which meant she could defend herself, and he was capable of fighting with his bare hands… but… What if the beast they could not only smell but _feel_ wouldn't fall without a sword?

Link shrugged off his own growing fear and vaulted another pool; only one more to go. As he landed on the final isle, he looked back again to nod to Malon, then proceeded up the staircase.

His eyes widened as he saw a plaque similar to the one he had inadvertently destroyed on the surface, but far more ornate; it was decorated with jewels, each representing a different part of the Triforce in positioning. Around it were well kept patches of flowers, all fully alive, showing the respect for the departed compared to the rest of the tomb. Now he understood. The previous corpses were not those of the Royal Family; they were the corpses of those who had attempted to steal from the tomb… But what killed them…? His eyes traced the plaque before noticing a shield. Now what was…?

With a grunt Link hefted the shield up and onto his back; no doubt this is what the Goron had been speaking of, though it was a lot heavier than Link thought it would be. Beneath the shield was something even more valuable though; the notes to the composer brother's song. "The Sun's Song…" Link pulled out his Ocarina and began fingering the notes silently, learning each one little by little; he knew he had to hurry, but he also had to memorize this as he doubted he'd ever have a chance to come back here again. After several minutes, he finally began to play each note, shivering as the magic of the song began to flow around him. He felt time itself move, though everything in the tomb remained the same.

Before he could fully become enveloped in this newfound feeling, Navi began flittering in front of his face, "Link! Something's wrong! We have to go back!"

Almost on cue, Malon shrieked loudly. In an instant, Link whipped around and shot out of the room. Across the pools of acid Malon stood frozen in fear; a tall mass of rotting flesh slowly moved toward her, "Malon, what are you doing!? Run!"

"Link, she can't! That's a ReDead! It freezes it's target in place to ensure they can't escape!"

Link started frantically looking around the room; he didn't have enough Deku Sticks to make it back across, and he knew the acid could kill him but… but…!

Navi couldn't believe her eyes as Link tore into the acid, moving full speed through the bubbling mass. He ignored the pain screaming through his feet, ankles and legs. He didn't care about how badly he would be hurt because of this. He lowered his shoulder and aimed the top of the metal shield for the ReDead then rammed into it, the pointed tip slashing through it.

He slid into a spin, putting his right hand to the floor to support himself, in his left hand he now held his sword, stolen from Malon's petrified hands when he swung by her. Before the monster could even try to send it's paralyzing glare at Link, he charged it again, both hands on his sword; he wasn't going to take any chances. He thrust as hard as he could, putting all of his weight into his attack to slam the beast into the acid.

His sword, however, refused to pull from the monster's body; he was being dragged down with it. Link's mind was a blur as both he and the monster toppled in. At the last moment a hand latched onto his right arm, yanking him back and dislodging the sword. Malon huffed as she helped Link stand, "You idiot! Do you realize what you just about did to yourself!?"

"Big talk… You'd be dead if not for me…" Link said between pained breaths. The acid did a number to him, "Come on… We need to get out of here…"

Malon was more than willing to argue, to try and force him to stay put until he could walk, but she knew as well as he did that there were definitely more ReDead's in the area; there was no reason to take further chances. It was time to leave. With all of her strength Malon hefted Link and his new annoyingly heavy shield to the entrance of the tomb. Looking up through the hole they had entered through, it struck her; how the hell were they going to get out?

"You have done well, envoy."

Malon gasped at the voice, slowly turning her and Link to face the speaker; the two ghosts, Sharp and Flat floated before them, "You have retrieved our song, even at the risk of your own life. You hold a great strength in you young man. We are close to achieving peace…"

Link looked up weakly, sweat dripping down his face; the acid had not only hurt him physically outside, but poisoned his insides, and was slowly eating at him, "Why… aren't you at peace?"

"It is simple," Flat said as the two ghosts floated closer, glowing brightly as he spoke again, "We haven't given you our eternal thanks for protecting our research." Flat shot into Link's body and Sharp into Malon's, engulfing both of them in a burst of blinding light. When the two opened their eyes, they were once more above the tomb. The rain and lightning had stopped, a morning sun gently rising into the sky.

Link, much to his own surprise, was fully healed, both inside and out, and his boots and clothes had been repaired; it was as though he had never stepped into the acid. "That… was amazing. Flat… Sharp… thank you."

Malon put a hand to her chest, deep in thought. Sharp had entered her… was it only to lift her back up to the surface? If so… why did she suddenly have a strength inside of her that she couldn't recognize as her own? She shook her head to snap herself out of her thoughts though; it was morning. Why was it morning? They had only been down there for barely an hour, maybe two. How was it- "Link, did you play that song down there?"

Link was already following her thought process, "I… might have…?" He chuckled nervously. He knew Malon was dying for sleep, especially after all of that. He began to edge away from her slowly, hoping she wouldn't-

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" She screeched as she charged him, leaving the poor boy running for his very life.


End file.
